FlightAware Flight Tracker Reviews

by Farley213

I had written another review about how this was such a go to app for me once upon a time. But the last two years it’s been harder to find flights. It has become less user friendly for everyday users.

One of the main reasons for this is that you don’t separate direct flights from flights with layovers.

It shouldn’t take three separate searches to locate a flight.

Kept searching and the direct flights are buried in between so they are easy to miss while you’re scrolling. And frankly the way the layover flights are done is confusing. I kept sending the first leg of the flight info out to people not realizing that it wasn’t bringing up the full information of both flights when I hit it.

This is because in the list of flights that comes up, you don’t specify airports in the first leg. So I was only sending that part out. The layover bar is lost a bit and I thought it was just stating that there is a layover. Not that it’s separating the two legs.

I’m not tech weak by any means. And I used to use FlightAwareFlightTracker on a very regular basis. But haven’t been happy with it for a while.

Needs to go back to the early versions and get user friendly again.

by Tembek

Used to be one of my favorite apps but ETA predictions have become highly unreliable. I’ve missed too many airport pickups to trust it and now use the individual airline websites. FlightAwareFlightTracker will frequently report a flight is on time for an arrival in 30 min for example when a quick glance at the map shows the plane is an hour farther away or minutes from landing. I’ve seen FlightAwareFlightTracker jump from on time to 40 min delay (and vice versa) while sitting at the cell phone lot at the arrival time. These changes were not caused by holds or spacing delays. The airline website had been reporting the delay for two hours. Following day flights are often shown with times that are 30-40 minutes earlier than the airline website. FA is rarely correct about the early arrival.

by Pwilk30978

In the latest upgrade, I was sadly surprised to find a awful new format!!! The map in the background makes it impossible to see the planes. Additionally, the gray color of the planes on the map is so hard to see! How this whole new look is an “upgrade” is stunning!! It is so AWFUL!!! There’s no way to adjust the map to revert to a subtle look in order to see the planes and there’s no way to change the color of the planes....I wish developers would quit messing with something that works just great and ruin it with an “upgrade”

UPDATE: I found the classic format-so please excuse the review. I’m still not excited about the new functionality as the font and presentation of flight details is not as easy on the eye as the old format.

by Tailgunner55

I used to trust the FlightAware app but my wife and I were just trying to follow the status of our daughter’s departure flight to Newark and got two different stories from FlightAware. I was using FlightAwareFlightTracker that still showed the flight as on time and my wife was using the FlightAware website that showed a 3-hour departure delay. What’s up with that? I checked FlightAwareFlightTracker again and in the flight details block it showed the local departure and the arrival in Newark as on time but there was a notation at the top of that same screen that showed the flight as delayed (with no other information as to how long). The web site showed an actual delayed departure time. I think FlightAwareFlightTracker and web site should be in sync and I think that any notation of a flight delay should give FlightAwareFlightTracker user the same information as the web site user.

by Cpahcg

FlightAwareFlightTracker gets a lot right. The ability to set alerts for flights you’re meeting is a great concept that is well-implemented in parts. However, that feature set breaks down at the most critical stage— the arrival time. I have received alerts that a flight is in the air after a delay. In my Notifications Center, a revised ETA is provided. However, in FlightAwareFlightTracker , that new arrival info is not updated. Why isn’t it synced across both locations so that I can rely only on FlightAwareFlightTracker ? Other times no revised notifications are received. I’ll be at the airport at the appointed time. Just as I’m expecting FlightAwareFlightTracker to show “Landed,” it updates and pushes the arrival time out by 30 minutes or more. If a tracker app is that unreliable, it becomes worthless.

Update: Based on developer's response re update to app, I'm happy to try the latest release. Thanks for the patch.

by LAX20531

Update: FlightAwareFlightTracker is still awesome but the display is experiencing major latency with refreshing the map. I ran a speed test and I’m currently getting 300 down/30 up (mbps) so it’s not speed and a forced reset of iPad didn’t fix the issue either. Updating to the new release of FlightAware was a no go as well. There’s always the website of course, but this is rather convenient. I’ll try again later and will update if my results are different.

I've used the desktop FlightAware probably since its inception and the iOS version for many years. At times FlightAwareFlightTracker was ignored and under-developed, but the recent binge of updates have made it cutting edge once again.
Every one of the flight tracking apps offers something just a bit different so YMMV according to your needs...FlightAware offers something for both the frequent traveler and the aviation aficionado so I highly recommend it. It also offers a very cheap option to remove annoying ads which I always take advantage of when offered.

by Ffjcdsyukcdg

I drive for uber and Lyft and rely on FlightAwareFlightTracker heavily to be able to predict surges at the airport based on flight arrival times. Without FlightAwareFlightTracker or something similar I would not be able to make as much money as I do and out of all the different flight tracking apps, this one is by far my favorite because of how easy it is to use and track incoming flights.

Unfortunately, its best feature seems to have stopped working for me, my boyfriend, and other drivers I’ve talked to. Flight arrivals no longer show up in chronological order, rather they seem to be listed according to their origination point departure times. This renders FlightAwareFlightTracker completely useless for us and hopefully it can be fixed soon as we have yet to find any other apps that are as intuitive and easy to use as flight aware!

by Gregoire1970

I’ve been using FlightAware for a long time and think highly of it. It would merit probably 4 stars if not for a few bugs that I think showed up since the last update of either FlightAware or iOS. One thing is I don’t have a settings icon top right. If I click that area my settings will show up but the icon itself is missing. Clicking the layers icon most of the time shows up a white square in the bottom with a few checkmarks but no accompanying text and no way to close the layers options - the icons dealing with that are hidden like the settings icon. This happens with the light theme on both my iPhone 8 and iPad Pro 9.7” running the latest iOS. With the dark theme everything works as it should.

Edit: thanks to the swift response back to 4 stars!

by Tweedybird56

Me and my pilot friends have noticed all of our flights do not show up. In the past several months, about half our flights show on FlightAware. And when they do, they are not accurate. Today I (N1224U) flew from 54T to T00 and back. I called SouthEast Texas Regional (Beaumont) to verify my transponder and ADSB was working, they verified that it was. After I landed at 54T, I checked FlightAware, part of the return flight showed up. Is there something we are not doing to see the history of our flights, you guys have spoiled us by showing all our flights, and now only partial. Thanks for a great product! Selby Goss

by 194922

I just downloaded FlightAwareFlightTracker and there’s a lot that I like, but why can I only save 3 airports. There are 4 airports that I use on a regular basis ( TOL, PIE, DTW and TPA ) and because DTW and TPA go together for some of my flights and TOL and PIE go together for others, I would like to be able to save them together and save myself some time. Really, would the ability to save one more airport, cost you anymore to add, or is this one more way to milk more money from people using your app. Like I said, I like your app, but there are 2 other apps that I’m considering, that allow me to save 4+ airports and airlines. Please consider adding this ability to your app, so that I can choose your app and raise your rating to 5 stars. Thanks for considering this suggestion.

by KillAllTheMarketers

FlightAware is by far the best flight tracking service that a consumer can find on the Internet. FlightAwareFlightTracker is a portal into their service, and provides no-nonsense access for tracking a flight from the time the pilot files a flight plan to wheels on the ground at landing and the various stages of the flight in between. As a bonus, their real-time display of flights in the air for most parts of the world is an informative and addictive way to observe just how busy the skies and major airports really are.

by 31 Flyer

We us it mostly for our family members to track our personal plane. It’s a good app that needs more work. It sometimes works when we file Flight following, maybe we are doing something wrong? It always works when we file an IFR flight plan. The problem we have with FlightAwareFlightTracker is when we cancel IFR in the air if we do a visual approach FlightAwareFlightTracker stops tracking the flight and my loved ones wonder it we crashed cause it stops the tracking short of the landing. The other thing is that we can’t sneak away without the family being notified of when we are leaving and where we going. The great thing is my FBO uses FlightAwareFlightTracker to know when we’re are arriving at the airport so they can have my vehicle out on the tarmac running and waiting for us with the air or the heat running....love that use of your app! Keep up the great work.

by Juanpa10795961209

Barely write reviews for apps but you guys definitely deserve one. I love how I can look where flights are going when I see the airplanes from the ground some are coming from Europe or don't even have a stop in the US it's awesome! It also helps me to track when a family member flight is on time or delayed as well as seeing where are they in the Atlantic while I run errands before picking them up; it definitely saves me money too because if a flight it's delayed I don't have to over pay for parking at the airport and just get there at the right time.

by Nlgess

I have used the Flight Aware app for several years. I find it to be accurate (sometimes more so than the individual airlines) and informative. I can check the local airport(s) for delays which are not always apparent in other ways. For example a clear sunny day but flights being held at the point of origin due to weather (thunderstorms etc.). I know having experienced it my self that when you are sitting in the airport at the departure gate and the plane is there but you are told it is delayed due to weather and it is sunny where you are and at your destination you get frustrated. Flight Aware gives the information about the airport’s delays due to weather and I can check both the departure airport and destination with the weather overlay showing me what is happening. I also like being able to find my plane “Where is my plane now?”. I volunteer for a local non profit as a ‘taxi team driver’. Being able to track the flights I am meeting is a big help.

by Kenan01

I’ve been using FlightAware for years and have found FlightAwareFlightTracker to be very useful and very accurate for tracking incoming and out going flights for my family. It’s so easy to use with FlightAwareFlightTracker on my phone to find a flight and track the flight from beginning to end. I can’t imagine trying to keep up with family members without FlightAwareFlightTracker. The airlines have completely dropped the ball on customer service, so getting the information out of them is like pulling teeth, but with FlightAware, you have the most up-to-date information in seconds.

by Mattny78

I’m a rideshare driver and utilize FlightAwareFlightTracker to track incoming flights and thus am able to easily find opportunities for fares utilizing the arrivals listing feature which is always reliable and accurate. I’m also an avid aviation enthusiast so I use FlightAwareFlightTracker to track flights while utilizing a separate air traffic radio app. FlightAwareFlightTracker not only gives basic info on flight departure/arrival times but also fully featured with weather conditions delay information as well as the ability to track flight location flight path altitude and speed. It’s fantastic. Love it thank you.

by MCard605

Love to be able to see where a flight goes. Weather radar is shown, giving more information to see some indication of how the flight went. Flight history is provided to see if this is a perennially late or early departure or arrival. You can also track the aircraft to see where your plane is. Finally, for this review, you can also see a map of where you are and identify aircraft above you, what altitude they are flying, where the flight originated and its destination for flights with files flight plans. You can also identify whose aircraft it is if it is a commercial flight.

by PopART4ever

My brother is a charter pilot and recommended FlightAwareFlightTracker. With it we've been able to track flights and actual planes, from origin to destination (and obtain quite a bit more information about delays than airlines provide- i.e. It can tell us when a delayed plane has yet to take off from a previous leg of a multi city route, or is running early). It maps flight progress of all flights- too bad we can't access it more easily from the planes themselves, but it keeps everyone on the ground well informed. As for looking up flights by tail number--that's a great way to find the whereabouts of the private pilot in the family, it's not just for airline passengers, it also tracks private planes.

by Iamamover

If a third party such as Flight Aware is able to obtain accurate and up to date information on flights, why can’t the actual airline operating the aircraft do the same? I guess they are only in the transportation business and not in the business of supplying information to their customers.

When I sent my high school daughter to France as an unaccompanied minor on an exchange program, I was up all night tracking her flight to Heathrow and her next leg to Nice, France. I knew when the plane was landing, I knew that it was on-time and that the airline had plenty of time to change terminals and it gave a nervous mother peace of mind.

Thank you Flight Aware for providing a most valuable service to the public.

by RanchoNotengo

I use FlightAwareFlightTracker for airline flights. Tracking the progress of the flight allows me to be ready to pick up a traveling passenger upon their arrival. Also knowing where the inbound aircraft is can impact the connecting flight. Being able to text the location of a connecting gate to an inbound pax also is a way to measure the chance of making a connecting flight or not. The airlines are not very helpful in providing that information. The flight following with the weather displayed also impacts arrival times. I also enjoy seeing the filed flight plan with the route, altitude, etc.
In addition to the commercial flights I can review my own general aviation flights and that of my friends.
Thanks Flight Aware for doing such a good job.