FlightAware Review [2024]: A Reliable Flight Tracker?

Flying often involves the tedious planning, organizing, scheduling, and coordinating between check-ins, flight arrivals, and departures.

Even after detailed planning, external factors such as flight delays or cancelations can put a wrench in all of your plans.

Planning a trip with this much uncertainty can feel overwhelming. Even for expert and navigated traveler, keeping up with the ever-changing air traffic situation can be challenging.

In comes flight tracking software like FlightAware that helps make traveler's life easier, simpler, and better.

But can you solely rely on FlightAware to help keep you on track with your flight schedules? Would you still have to check the official timelines?

Let's discuss FlightAware and find out what it can and cannot offer fellow travelers!

What is FlightAware?

FlightAware is a multinational technology company that offers real-time, chronicled, and predictive flight tracking services. The flight tracking features that FlightAware offers have turned it into a significant player in the aviation space.

FlightAware allows users to see the status of any commercial flights worldwide. This includes extensive coverage of private and charter flights in the United States and Canada. In addition to the flight tracking information, the FlightAware website also contains many helpful features.

Catering to over 10,000 airplanes and related providers, they provide precise tracking tools and predictive technology, analytics, and more.

While FlightAware's comprehensive features are used more so for aviation businesses for aviation decisions and insights, their simple tracking features are used by thousands of travelers worldwide.

Features of FlightAware include airport activity, flight, and airport maps complete with weather information, aviation statistics, and flight planning tools.

How does FlightAware work?

FlightAware employs a network of over 20,000 terrestrial Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receivers. FlightAware collects up-to-date flight tracking data from host ground stations through this network.

The ADS-B receivers can capture real-time positions for aircraft flying through this network multiple times per minute. In addition, FlightAware also uses community generated and tracked data to provide holistic analytics for aviators worldwide.

However, it's not always accurate. In remote places like Northern Canada and Siberia, tracking services might be intermittent. In cases like these, FlightAware offers their best estimates of the flight tracks.

If you're looking at a FlightAware flight tracker tool, you'll notice different colors. East-bound tracks are purple in color, while West-bound tracks are green. Waypoints are clearly labelled.

Tl;dr: FlightAware provides reliable and complete tracking of flights by combining data from satellites and multiple reputable sources worldwide.

Is FlightAware free?

Yes, the website and the app offer a free plan for registered and unregistered users.

For those using FlightAware on mobile, there are micro-transactions that users can purchase, such as removing ads.

Frequent travelers or corporate travel enterprises offer Premium, Enterprise, and Enterprise WX options at various price points. We'll cover them in a later section!

FlightAware's Aviator & Aviator+ subscriptions

FlightAware offers premium services for Aviator and Aviator+ for enhanced flight-tracking data and flight history logs for piston engine aircraft owners.

FlightAware's Aviator plan goes for 100$ USD annually, while its Aviator+ plan goes for 200$ USD annually.

If you're interested in learning more about FlightAware's Aviator subscription plans and the comparison between the two plans, check out their website here!

How do I use FlightAware as a traveler?

FlightAware offers multiple valuable services for free with no need to register. The website can feel overwhelming, bursting with all kinds of geeky-looking information on aircraft and flight tracking.

But how do you use FlightAware's technology as a traveler? You'll find that it is pretty straightforward!

Let's say there's a flight you want to track or get real-time information on. Maybe you need to pick up your parents at the airport or coordinate multiple flights while taking a trip around the world.

You will face two options on the website: Search by Flight or Search by Route.

If you already know your flight code, enter it under the Search by Flight option.

FlightAware will provide you with several valuable and updated insights on your flight based on available data it's gathering on the flight.

These key features include:

• Number or identifier of the flight and name of the airline group.
• Updated information (in green) on the flight status, including expected departure, arrival time, and more.
• Name of the origin site (the city or location the flight takes off from).
• The origin airport.
• Date and time of departure.
• Name of the arrival site (the city or place the flight is landing at).
• Low and high elevations
• The destination airport.
• Date and time of predicted landing.

After the flight has departed, you can monitor the flight position, total travel time, and remaining time until landing.

If unsure of the flight number, go for the Flight Finder option. What you need are the flight's origin and destination airport or location. FlightAware will assist you in finding the correct flight number or identifier.

What's more, FlightAware also track private jets and chartered flights, provide current flight conditions, and the estimated track if there are delays to the flight.

The Basic Free plan will also get up to 5 global access flight tracking alerts. This feature is handy for remaining updated on a flight status via push notifications.

FlightAware Premium Features

FlightAware offers 1 Basic Free and 3 Premium plans featuring different levels of Personalized Flight Tracking.

The best premium plan for travelers is the Premium + subscription. This plan caters to the needs of frequent flyers and professionals.

With FlightAware's Premium + subscription, you'll gain access to comprehensive coverage, such as:

1. Unlimited Flight Tracking Alerts instead of the default 5.
2. Unlimited saved aircraft to track.
3. Up to 50 Saved Airports.

Does FlightAware have an app version?

Yes, FlightAware also exists as a Mobile Flight Tracker App. You can download it for free on iOS and Play Store-compatible devices.

A version of the app just for Ipads is also available. The app version includes almost every website feature and guarantees easy mobile access to the plane tracking data:

With the FlightAware app, you will be able to:

• Track all airline flights status.
• Check updated information on Gates and Terminals.
• Check for flight cancellations or delays.
• Real-time data on local weather.
• Receive push notifications on estimated departure and arrival times.
• Receive push notifications on any change in times, delays, or canceling of a flight.
• Receive push notifications on the gate and terminal changes.

Is FlightAware worth it?

The short answer is yes!

FlightAware has had a steady reputation for years as a reliable app for flight tracking. Most importantly, it's a great free tool to track flights and ensure their loved ones are safe and sound.

FlightAware reviews from users are consistently good and are especially loved by frequent flyers and aviation enthusiasts. What users appreciate the most about FlightAware is the comprehensive coverage and accuracy of its data.

The technology behind FlightAware is robust, so much so that even some pilots and airline companies use FlightAware! The mobile app is easy to use. The notification system is reliable, with alerts going in real-time on your phone and email.

FlightAware is a must-have for avid aviators or those doing business in the aviation industry.

Our rating: 4.4/5

Pros:

• Free service!
• Useful stats and trackers.
• Reliable & up-to-date info
• Alerts on arrival, departure time, or terminal and gate changes.
• fast push notifications
• Mobile versions available

Cons:

• Expensive premium plans
• Complex user design
• Cluttered map display on some devices.

Stay Organized with Pilot!

FlightAware can help you stay updated on your flight status when planning a trip, but what about organizing everything else? In comes Pilot!