How to track flights using your Android device
When you're traveling (or just picking up relatives at the airport), getting access to the fastest, most accurate flight info is essential. FlightAware is a free Android app that can save you time and stress--learn how to use it in this blog post by Rob Lightner.
Let's say you need to pick up an old friend from the airport--or that you're holed up in an airport lounge yourself, guarding the perfect Wi-Fi spot while you wait for your plane. You know you can do better than constant Web refreshes to get the info you need, right? If you've got an Android device, check out FlightAware. It's free, it's fast, and it's simple. Here's how to use it:
- Install the FlightAware app from the Android Market.
- When you run it, you're given three tracking options: By flight number, tail number (individual plane ID), and flight route. For most users, flight number is all you need, but if for some reason you want to track a particular plane or you've forgotten your flight number and need to retrieve it, you're all set.
FlightAware start page - Select "Track By Flight Number" to bring up the search page. This lets you select an airline from a massive list, then check individual flights from that airline. If it's already arrived, you should see detailed flight info as well as options to view a flight map, track additional flights using the same number, and add this flight to your list of tracked flights.
FlightAware info page--arrived - If the flight is en route, you can get the same info, plus the current ETA and the option to View Inbound Flight if you want to see how the plane's prior flight is (or was) going.
FlightAware info page--en route
All of this info (and more) is available on FlightAware's Web page, but this is much more convenient for many of us.