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Frequent fliers mostly find the sites helpful in planning trips and avoiding delays. But those who follow the airline industry say they expect the sites to become more popular as fliers become frustrated by increasing flight delays and what many think is unreliable information supplied by the airlines.
Passengers are less dependent on airlines “The airlines don't have as many people available to track flights and provide information to travelers." Free service
All the sites are free and are supported by advertising and sales of data to
companies such as limousine services. The sites, which rely on government radar
and flight plan data, track planes from takeoff to touchdown. They show a map
that plots a plane's location, its path, its speed, altitude and estimated time
of arrival.
To track a flight on the sites, users need the airline and flight number or the
flight's destination and arrival airports. Some of the sites publish maps
depicting air traffic near airports.
Others will send users e-mail or text messages about a plane's takeoff or
landing. A plane's location on a site is not precise enough to compromise
security, the companies say.
Many frequent fliers agree that one of the best sites is run by Flight Aware.
The site has about 1 million unique visitors each month.
Avoid delays
Fliers say they have found the site useful, especially to track planes carrying
their friends or relatives.
Other fliers said they use the site to figure out whether an airport is experiencing delays so they can alter travel plans to avoid the snarls. Frequent fliers who were asked about tracking sites also praised these three: Flight Explorer, Flight View and Flight Stats.
Flight View sells a $19.95 screen saver that displays constantly updated flight
tracks of departures and arrivals across the country or at airports.
The sites, including Flight Aware, do not generally provide all the information
that fliers might need to meet people at airports. They track flights only
after they are in the air and do not say why a flight is delayed.
Help yourself
the site is easy to use if you have some specific information, such as the name of an airport or airline and a flight number. The maps are easy to read and decipher. Expect a harder time if you do not know the flight number. By registering on the site for free, you can examine the on-time performance of a flight each day over a month. The site does not synthesize that information in a chart or graph. However, it does provide real-time graphics that show air traffic at airports.
Flight View
generally works the same way as Flight Aware. But its maps are not as large or easy to read. Even without a flight number, visitors can track flights between cities and can use a service that provides a constantly updated map depicting a plane's flight path.
Flight Explorer
offers a succinct graph that explains departure and arrival delays at any domestic airport. The site also offers users the ability to track flights in 3-D.
Flight Stats
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