Popular flight-tracking app Flighty is releasing a new version on Tuesday that uses machine learning and aviation authority data to provide early warnings of delays and give users the exact reason behind delays.
With the launch of Flight 4.0, the app tracks the two biggest causes of delays — late aircraft and airspace issues — to inform users of delays before airlines do. The idea behind the update is to help you make more informed decisions about your travel plans by giving you information that airlines typically won’t.
For instance, an airline may delay your travel by half an hour, then an hour, and so on. Flighty, on the other hand, can tell you in advance that your flight will likely have a five-hour delay due to things like an official ground stop at your airport or weather issues. With this information, you can choose to do things like rebook your flight or wait a bit longer before heading out to the airport.
Flighty now monitors every trackable delay reason, including late-arriving airplanes, air traffic control notices, airport operational issues and events like the Super Bowl, to keep you informed about your travel. Once the app analyzes the data, it gives you clear notifications. You may see a notification that reads: “Delayed 45m. Due to late arriving aircraft from New York.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation, late inbound airplanes are responsible for up to 35% of all delays. Flighty 4.0 uses machine learning to predict these delays up to six hours before airlines acknowledge them. The company says its predictions are over 95% accurate.
Air traffic control is the second most common reason for delays, which includes factors like waiting for a storm to pass or spacing out flights to prevent taxiway congestion. Flighty now taps into air traffic control data, deciphers it for your specific flight and then tells you how delays will impact you.
The latest version of the app also includes live airport performance trends, because in some cases it’s not your plane that’s the problem, it’s your entire airport. For these situations, the app now features live performance of takeoffs and landings at your airports, so you can ensure your airport is operating normally.
Flighty 4.0 is available today on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. The new features are available with a Flighty Pro subscription, which costs $4 for one week or $48 for a year.
Launched in 2019, Flighty boasts millions of users and received a 2023 Apple Design Award. Flighty serves as both a flight companion and a travel log, as it lets you add your past and future flights to the app using flight numbers and booking references from your email, calendar, TripIt or manually.
