Here are the best tools for tracking flights

• Flighty
• FlightRadar24
• FlightAware
• Bottom line

Flight-tracking apps have come a long way in just a few years, and some are now even better than airline apps at notifying you of delays and cancellations. These services can help you beat the crowd when it comes to getting rebooked in the case of long delays and cancellations. Sometimes, having information about your plane’s location can help you save time; for example, it can save you from getting to the airport much earlier than you need to. I literally don’t leave home without first tracking one of these apps.

These services can do things like tell you how long you’re likely to be delayed, where your plane is coming from and even where you are in the line to takeoff.

One especially good tool can even predict when you are likely to take off, using artificial intelligence. Here are some of the best ones we use at TPG to keep one step ahead of the competition.

Flighty

Flighty is an Apple iOS app launched in 2019 that helps you track your flights day to day and keeps an ongoing record of your worldwide travels. It has some incredible technology working behind the scenes to keep you informed about your flights. It even uses AI to predict delays.

The paid version even gives you a year-end summary, and it can be fun to look back at your adventures over the past year … or lifetime.

Related: Why this flight-tracking app is a go-to travel companion

More importantly, it shares real-time updates on your flights, including delays and cancellations. Oftentimes, it knows when a flight is having issues before the designated airline app does.

Flighty tracks your flight for 25 hours before your departure, keeping you up to date on the aircraft types and previous stops so you can see how it’s progressing. This gives you the option to change your flight if you see it’s delayed at prior airports. This has helped me switch flights a few times to ensure I reach my final destination on time. It will even suggest alternate airlines’ flights.

It will also alert you to any schedule changes or aircraft type swaps, so you can make backup plans if needed.

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I use Flighty every time I fly. Most recently, I faced long delays on a United Airlines flight home from Charleston, finally giving up after it was delayed by mechanical issues multiple times. Flighty confirmed that the flight was canceled before I heard it from United.

This is by far my favorite airline tracking tool and seems like a bargain to me at $59.99 per year or $299 for a lifetime subscription.

FlightRadar24

FlightRadar24 is another app I check every time I fly, though it’s more useful for AvGeeks than for those who just want to figure out what’s going on with their flights.

I use it to see where my plane is coming from, as well as the plane’s ship number and recent history. You can, for example, check whether the plane has had many cancellations and delays in the past year. I like to see how old the plane is that I’m flying on and when it entered service.

The app shows you all flights arriving and departing from almost any airport in real time.

Like with Flighty, you can also track live flights with a Gold membership.

The FlightRadar24 Gold membership tier costs $34.99 per year.

FlightAware

FlightAware is a major resource for reporters at TPG when it comes to tracking mass delays and cancellations, but FlightAware also has a free app that can be useful. I use the desktop tool to see where delays and cancellations are worst, as well as to note total numbers in the event of major technology meltdowns or during storms.

But the service also has a very data-rich app. While I don’t use the app myself, it has a slew of useful tools and, like FlightRadar24, it can help you find information about your current flight and where your plane has been. Like Flighty, it tracks the inbound aircraft that will become your flight.

It has a cool feature called “Where is my plane?” that keeps an eye on your inbound flight and can notify you of delays up to 30 minutes before your airline does.

The app is free, but premium plans are available for power users or for businesses. Premium+ is $44.95 per month — too rich for my blood, but may be worth it for those with deep pockets or folks who can expense the premium tool.

Bottom line

Get ahead of delays and cancellations with one of these three tools that TPG staff use regularly. I really can’t emphasize enough how valuable these apps can be when you are traveling, whether it’s every week or even just once a year.

With these tools at your fingertips, you can often beat everyone else on your flight by knowing the status of delays, or you can even get rebooked if the flight is canceled.Knowledge is power.

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