My wife travels a lot for work, and navigating a busy airport when picking her up after a week of international travel is not easy when you have a four-year-old with you. The best option available to us is to time our trips that I pick her up in the drop off zone just as she walks out of the airport. This can only be done effectively if I know exactly when her plane is landing.
Using a flight tracking app will ensure that you can achieve this with ease.
Make sure that you are using an international prepaid SIM card to remain connected on your trip abroad.
How flight tracking apps work
Flight tracking is an exact science and relies on constant information being fed from the aircraft to the apps in real time.
The aircraft-based transponders use the GPS and other flight data input to transmit signals containing aircraft registration, position, altitude, velocity and other flight data. As of 2019, about 80% of aircraft in Europe are equipped with ADS-B and 60% in the US.
Benefits of flight tracking apps
There are significant benefits to using a flight tracking app.
Some of the most important benefits include:
- 24/7 Accessibility. The need for travel apps is eminent because of their features and functions. Travel apps are always there to provide any kind of information useful to travellers at their convenience and at the right time;
- Networking and Sharing. Travelling is all about sharing and networking. You cannot travel alone these days, thanks to apps. You are always connected to your dear ones;
- IoT based Decisions. IoT-based solutions play a vital role in travel apps to provide suggestions and guides according to users’ choices;
- Special Services. Travel mobile apps are beneficial for both business owners and users. The most popular features of such apps are the capabilities they have to record and store the data of users; and
- Customized Apps. When a travel mobile app development company offers a customized, user-friendly app, it becomes popular and gains a competitive advantage over its rivals. However, the most effective apps can be customized according to the front-end and the back-end requirements.
FlightAware Flight Tracker
Track planes in real-time above your head, or all over the world. Easily track the status of your flight, check for any delays on the inbound aircraft, see weather radar, and set up alerts to be notified of any changes.
Best Features:
- Track any plane around the world in real-time;
- Get free flight status alerts: Departure, Arrival, Cancellations, Gate changes, Delays, Diversions; and
- See weather radar
Pricing: Free
Downloads: FlightAware Flight Tracker (iOS) 4.7 star rating, FlightAware Flight Tracker (Android) 3.7 star rating, over 10 million downloads.
Planning an international vacation? Make use of a top travel app.
Further reading: Top 110 Best travel apps (2022 International tourist guide).
Flightview – Flight Tracker
Track upcoming and in-air flights, and receive status alerts via push notification. Check gate assignments, delays and cancellations and use the attractive flight map to see a flight’s progress. Forward your itinerary confirmation emails and Flightview will automatically load them into your Trips.
Best Features:
- Forward your itinerary confirmation email to Trips@Flightview.com, and it will be automatically loaded into your My Trips on your device;
- Trips are synced between devices and with www.Flightview.com so you can quickly reference their statuses everywhere; and
- Add notes to flights or trips, such as car rental and hotel reservation numbers, and keep all of your day-of-travel information in one place
Pricing: Free
Downloads: Flightview – Flight Tracker (iOS) 4.4 star rating, 10 million downloads.
Are you wondering how many times your favourite travel app has been downloaded?
Further reading: Top 10 most downloaded travel apps (2022 Tourist guide).
FlightStats
FlightStats is a free real-time flight status and airport tracking app
Best Features:
- Quickly access worldwide flight status by flight number, airport or route;
- Watch flights as they move across the world on our gorgeous flight tracker; and
- Scan essential information like departure/arrival times, delay indexes, gates and weather
Pricing: Free
Downloads: FlightStats (iOS) 4.8 star rating, FlightStats (Android) 4.3 star rating, over 1 million downloads.
Do you know what a travel app is and the benefits that they can offer you?
Further Reading: What are travel apps & why every tourist needs them.
ADSB Flight Tracker
For the geeky aviation enthusiast to track and view planes flying in the local area as well as around the world using a radar style similar to the radar screens that Heathrow air traffic controllers use in the real world.
Best Features:
- Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B)receiver functionality, which is capable of picking up aircraft broadcasting their positions; and
- The app uses a radar style similar to the radar screens Heathrow air traffic controllers use in the real world.
Pricing: Free
Downloads: ADSB Flight Tracker (Android) 2.7 star rating, over 100 000 downloads.
Remaining connected when you are travelling abroad is important.
Further reading: What is international roaming & how it works.
Plane Finder – Flight Tracker
Plane Finder is incredibly easy to use and utterly fascinating. It enables you to see live air traffic patterns with real-time tracking of almost any plane you’re interested in, and in addition to the aircraft’s location you can see its current altitude, its speed and where it’s heading.
Best Features:
- Live Global Flight Tracking. Quickly find and track flights live on a map and explore live status information;
- Switch to 3D Tracking Anytime. Flip instantly to 3D from any aircraft, airport or location on the map; and
- Live AR Mode. Point your camera at a plane in the sky to instantly reveal live flight and aircraft information.
Pricing: Free
Downloads: Plane Finder ⁃ Flight Tracker (iOS) 4.7 star rating, Plane Finder – Flight Tracker (Android) 3 star rating, over 1 million downloads.
International roaming can be expensive. However, there are ways to avoid them.
Further reading: How to avoid roaming charges (2022 Travellers guide)
5 Best Transport Websites
| Name | Description | Best for | Searches on Google | Cost |
| FlightView | There’s no need to search around while using the FlightView site. Front and centre is a box to track flights by number or route. | Tracking flights | Over 30 million | Free |
| Plane Finder | The home page is a map of the globe with a real-time look at flight route maps around the world, including both commercial and private traffic. | Tracking flights | Over 30 million | Free |
| Flight Arrivals | The top navigation bar is the best place to start when visiting Flight Arrivals. You can select from categories to search from including arrivals, departures, route maps, and more. | Tracking flights | Over 30 million | Free |
| There’s no need to rely on a specific flight tracking app or site if you’re looking for quick information about a particular flight. As long as you know the flight number, just enter it into a Google search and a quick snippet of its status will appear before any search results. | Tracking flights | Over 30 million | Free | |
| FlightAware | FlightAware is one of the best online flight trackers because of how much detail it goes into. | Tracking flights | Over 30 million | Free |
There are significant benefits to travelling abroad.
Further reading: 20 Benefits of travelling abroad (2022 International tourist guide)
Many companies, and travellers, do not use the most direct route to their destination because of the costs involved. A typical journey may include one or even multiple connecting flights. Using a flight tracking app allows you to plan your trip and keep in touch with where you need to be and if your connecting flights are running on time.
Flight tracking apps FAQ
- Is the information presented in flight tracking apps accurate?
Yes. Flight tracking apps are updated in real time using the GPS position of the aircraft on its route.
- What happens if my plane is late and I have to catch a different connecting flight?
The beauty of a flight tracking app is that you can be informed about this long before time and you will be able to use an accommodation booking app to search for last minute deals on hotel rooms that are close to the airport.
- Will I always need connectivity when using a flight tracking app?
Yes, connectivity is important when using a public transit app. Make sure that you have enabled international roaming so that you can access a mobile network in the country you are visiting. Alternatively, make use of free WIFI.
- Are flight tracking apps free?
Yes. These apps generate revenue through advertisements and through in-app purchases.
- What is the most important thing to remember when using a flight tracking app?
Make sure that you have the right flight number. Some airports have multiple flights landing at the same time, so keeping track of a flight when you only know the route can be confusing. It may be a good idea to enable push notifications on your app which will send you targeted messages about the current status of the flight that you are tracking.
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