This spring has been the season of the late/cancelled flight leaving passengers stranded for hours (and sometimes days) at airports across the nation. Adding insult to injury, passengers often feel like they can’t step away from their gates for even a moment or they’ll miss an update about their flights. iPhone to the rescue!
If you have iMessage on your phone, you already have the tools you need to track your flight in real time without having to download the airline’s app. Before you travel, you’ll need to complete a few set-up steps:
- Enable iMessage (this app doesn’t work on SMS/MMS).
- Make sure your flight number appears in a text (incoming or outgoing) in the following format: [Airline] [Flight number], for example, Delta 2112.
When your flight becomes trackable, that number will appear in your text messages underlined and clickable. Once you click the link, a menu appears asking if you wish to Copy Flight Code so you can send these details to someone else or Preview Flight. If you click this option, you’ll have access to flight status, terminal and gate of departure and arrival, time of departure and arrival, flight duration, and the likely number of the baggage claim carousel.
If you’re a true worry wart, you can also check out the details of your return flight by swiping left on the bottom half of the flight tracker.
Flights will still be cancelled, and gates will still be changed until the end of time, but using this simple tool has the power to set your mind at ease, plan ahead, grab a bite to eat without worrying your flight will leave without you, and save your friends a drive to the airport in Paris while you’re stuck at a Cinnabon in Cincinnati!