Most of us have been inconvenienced at some time or another by flight delays or cancellations.
If you’ve been in this situation, you’ll know that one of the most frustrating parts of flight plans gone awry is the lack of clarity – with some cancelled last minute, others embroiled in a wave of confusion and even some with different information depending on where you look.
The good news is an update to a popular travel app could be a handy tool to help alleviate any concerns.
Flighty, an iPhone app that tracks flights, has just launched a new update including what it calls ‘Airport Intelligence’.
The app will update you about delays and gate changes – before even the airline informs you.
It will also explain the reason for these delays, meaning you won’t be left in the dark.
The Flighty website explains: ‘Airlines often keep delay information under wraps until the last minute. Flighty doesn’t.
‘We track the inbound aircraft 25 hours before your flight, so we can predict a new departure time long before the airline notifies you.’
It predicts delays – long before airlines update passengers.
It adds: ‘Late planes are the number one cause of delays. Flighty uses machine learning to predict delays due to late arriving aircraft – up to six hours before the airline says anything.
‘Air Traffic Control mandates are the number two cause of delays. Flighty sifts through these and tells you what might impact your flight: like ground stops, weather, or airport issues.’
So, how does it work?
The app will take real data used by pilots and air traffic control to understand what’s going on.
The company says: ‘Flighty then synthesises these messages as they are issued, translates the technical aviation language into plain English, and layers in its best-in-class flight tracking data to show how airport-wide issues may affect all flights, routes, and even entire airlines.’
Airport Intelligence will also be available for free on the Flighty website, a game-changer for passengers looking to track their flights even if they don’t want to download the app.
Flighty CEO Ryan Jones told Forbes: ‘Airport meltdowns are increasingly common, and historically it would take a pilot, controller, or a serious aviation expert to explain why, until now.
‘Airport Intelligence turns raw data into real insights so you always know what’s happening at your airport.’