Some apps have more features than others, but hopefully, you’ll find the one the best fits your needs. Some will require that you sign up for a paid account, but it’s up to you if that’s worth it or not.
1. FlightAware Flight Tracker
FlightAware Flight Tracker can keep you informed in various ways. For example, you can get all sorts of information on a particular flight such as route, ground speed, the altitude, origin, destination an even the gate number. You can get flight info on flights either in the US or Canada.
There are various ways you can track a flight such as by flight number and tail number. You can also find flights around you with the “Near Me” feature in the app’s settings. Tap on the plane figure and get flight data such as arrival time, destination, flight duration and more. You can also see flight information for private, and charter planes and flight alerts can also be sent to another person. You’ll need to give the app permission to access your contacts to use this feature.
2. Flightradar24 Flight Tracker
By tapping on the search bar at the top when you open FlightRadar24, you can search for flights by route, airline, airport and proximity. When you search by airport, you can get info such as shown on map, show arrival board, show departure board, show aircraft on ground, show weather, and find a flight. You can choose from different types of maps such as normal, terrain, satellite, hybrid, silver, dark, aubergine, and plain. By pointing your phone at a plane in mid-air, you can get general flight information as well. The app is not completely free. With the basic plan you only enjoy live flight tracking, but the silver ($1.48 a month) and gold plans ($3.90 a month) offer more features such as ATC boundaries, aeronautical charts and more!
3. FlightStats
FlightStats may not have as many features as other apps on the list, but it gives you the basics. It allows you to track flights either by flight, airport or route. To search by flight, you’ll need info such as airline, flight number, and flight date. To find a flight by the airport, you’ll need to know the name of the airport, flight date, and airline. Last but not least, to use the by-route option, you’ll have to enter the departure airport, arrival airport, flight date, and airline. You can also keep info on your particular flight in your My Flights tab for easy access. In the Airports tab you can get info such as the delay index, the date, and local time. You can share this info by tapping on the share option at the top-right.
4. Airline Flight Status Track and Airport FlightBoard
Airline Flight Status is one colorful app. Depending on the altitude a flight has reached, that will determine what color the plane will have. For example, if a plane has reached forty-thousand feet in altitude, the plane will be a bright pink color. All the other altitudes have their particular color. Tap on a plane in the radar and get information such as distance, velocity, heading, and altitude in real-time. Swipe right from the left side of your display, an in Ticket Photos, you can save pictures of your plane tickets for faster access to info. In the Airport option (also in the slide-out menu) you can get general flight information of various flights without entering a flight number. The app will guide you on how you can use this feature. For example, it will show you how you can only see what planes are landing between a specific period. Other filters will allow you just to see flights based on the airline, status (canceled, on-time, etc.) and their destination.
5. RadarBox – Live Flight Tracker and Airport Status
With RadarBox you get what every flight app should offer: general flight information such as coordinates, route, scheduled landing time, and how far along the trip is. Right below the flight number, you’ll see by percentage how much longer the flight will last. While you’re looking at a plane on the radar, there is also an option to follow that plane. You can view the radar for free in either classic or dark mode. There are other options such as hybrid satellite and SkyVector hi/low/vfr, but you’ll need to sign up for a plan to use those.
As you can see in the image above, there will be some options that will be locked. To unlock them you’ll need to sign up for a plan. When you select a feature, the app will automatically show you the plan you need to sign up to use that feature. You can choose from Spotter, Pilot, and business. RadarBox’s service is also available on its website, so you don’t need to install an additional app if you don’t want to.
Conclusion
Thanks to all these apps, you will always know where a specific plane is in real time. Each app stands out in a particular option it might have, and hopefully, you found an app that you will keep on your device. Which one will you try first?
