Flighty and byAir
When I fly I almost always take Delta, and the Delta mobile app is pretty solid. It tells me what I need and I didn’t think I’d want much else. Turns out, there are some great apps that can give you a ton more information about your flight, with some of it being super helpful and some of it just fun.
My favorite app for this is one called Flighty, but it’s currently only available on iOS. The best app I’ve found on Android is byAir, which covers about 90% of what Flighty does.
With either app, you start by entering your future flight numbers and dates and get them added to the system. You can add your own, of course, but also add others. My wife flies much more often that I do, so I add all of her flights in there as well.
Once they’re added, that’s where things get helpful.
First, it will often notify you of delayed flights way before the airline will. Flighty will see that your plane, which may be a few stops away, is running way behind. That early notification can be great!
It can also show you a lot of great information about the plane itself. While the type of plane isn’t really a surprise, the age can be, so it’s nice to see what you’ll be dealing with (and the liklihood of reliable in-flight wifi and things like that).
Pricing
The pricing is where these get a little tricky. If you fly a ton, it’s a no-brainer. For the rest of us, the prices are a bit steep.
$4.99/week (“pay-as-you-go”)
$59.99/year
$299 one-time / lifetime
They’re not horrible prices, but for infrequent fliers like me, they’re a good bit. For now, I generally just do the “pay-as-you-go” and just use it when I need it.
It’s apps like these that I never knew I was missing, but I find to be really helpful.
Have you ever used an app like either of these? Which is your favorite?