We all know the anxiety of entry departurespositioning himself perfectly next to one of the big scary boards and…nothing happens.
No. gates information, no boarding calls. It’s yours the flight delayed? Does she even exist?
Well for all the airport dads out there, there’s an app to help.
Flying is a tool (also available as a website) that promises to tell passengers about a delay even before the airline does.
It’s already quite popular, with the company saying that on any given day, two out of three US flights have a Flighty user on board.
And now, a recent introduction, called the Airport Intelligence update, means it can even tell users why the delay is happening in the first place.
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The website says: ‘Airlines often withhold delay information until the last minute. Flighty doesn’t.
“We track inbound aircraft 25 hours before your flight, so we can predict a new departure time well in advance airline informs you.’
The app uses machine learning (a type of AI) to predict delays caused by late arriving planes – which can be up to six hours before the airline says anything.
The technology also feeds in information from air traffic control, including details on ground stops, weather or airport issues.
Do you track your flight on an app?
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Yes, I want all the information
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No, I can’t do anything about a delay anyway
All this means travelers can get additional details on gate information, departure times, baggage straps and booking codes – basically it’s like having a mini version of the big flight board in your pocket.
The website has a map where users can navigate to a specific airport (there are more than 14,000 listed) and find their flight from there.
At the time of writing, we looked at the situation London Heathrow and things are pretty good, with 75% of departures on time, 23% delayed and 2% cancelled.
There’s also a take-off delay breakdown, so you can estimate how long you can sit idle in the plane, waiting for some momentum.
Elsewhere, the Flighty Friends setting gives users the option to share their flight status with friends, so if you’re being picked up, they’ll know exactly what the situation is.
And, if you’re feeling particularly nervous, the app also lets you track your most-flown aircraft. It will give you an accurate estimate of how many times you have flown that exact model of aircraft and for how many hours.
Why are flight tracking apps so popular right now?
While flight tracking used to be the preserve of aviation nerds, these days, everyone seems to be tracking planes.
like AirAdvisor expert Anton Radchenko tells subwaytravelers are increasingly using this new approach.
He explains: ‘Passengers increasingly want real-time visibility into their journeys, especially when disruption is involved, which explains why these apps are becoming popular.’
These behavioral changes have been driven by a period of intense uncertainty in the world of air travel, which Anton says includes strikes, airspace closures and wider operational disruptions.
“What is most important for travelers is not only to know that a delay has occurred, but to understand how it is evolving in real time.
“This visibility gives passengers a greater sense of control in what is otherwise a very opaque system,” he says.
But no matter how much information you have, no amount of tracking can get you to an earlier flight or encourage airlines to be faster in their decision-making.
“What passengers are really gaining is early awareness, not greater control,” says Anton.
Flights are about to get more expensive – what can travelers do to save?
If you’ve got big summer plans — especially ones that involve getting on a flight — you’re likely to pay a fortune for the indulgence. Airline tickets are going up as you read this.
Drivers are already paying more at the pump because of The US-Israel war against Iran and the ensuing violence throughout Middle East.
But travelers could soon be paying sky-high airfares if the chaos continues to drive up the cost of jet fuel around the world.
Jet fuel prices rose 58.4% this month, data from International Air Travel Association shows, reaching its highest level in four years.
Last week, Scandinavia’s largest airline became the first major carrier in Europe to cancel flights due to rising fuel prices.
But from a passenger’s perspective, there’s nothing you can do but make informed decisions about the airline you book with.
This is the message from Marina Efthymiou, Professor of Aviation Management at the University of Dublin.
“Increasing the cost of fuel IS it will pass to the passenger, this is not in question, – she said subway. “But the extent to which it will be moved depends on the market and how well the airline has hedged against rising fuel prices.”
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