The Flight Tracker: Live Radar Reviews

EDIT: I just learned that the connecting leg of my flight that was marked on TheFlightTracker as delayed is in fact on time. When it comes to travel, it’s actually better to have no info at all rather than the wrong info. For this reason, I’m removing the extra star I gave TheFlightTracker for finding the flights (which should kind of be a given for a flight-tracking app anyway).

———

Tried giving TheFlightTracker another try after it failed to find my flight the last time I tried it. I gave it a star for finding both the initial and connecting flights this time. Among the issues with TheFlightTracker are a truly non-intuitive interface that requires digging around to find critical options and info while fairly useless info (eg carrier corporate profiles) are accessed by clicking where you’d expect to find the important info. There also doesn’t appear to be any way to see how long your flight is delayed, only the fact that it is delayed, so you don’t know whether you need to make alternative arrangements either for air or ground transportation. Ultimately I only had this installed for 10 minutes; if I can’t get critical flight info in that amount of time (either because it’s not available in TheFlightTracker or because locating it in TheFlightTracker takes so long due to the interface), then TheFlightTracker isn’t serving its intended purpose.

No other flight tracker app comes close to Flight Tracker. You can save and view any flight you want to the ‘My Flights’ tab, organize your flights according to trips you’re going to take in the ‘Trips’ tab, see interactive maps of any flight you choose, get all the information you need about any airport in the world (delays, terminal maps, etc.), get airplane info and seat maps for the flights you’re tracking or have saved, and so much more. You can also customize notifications to remind you of departures and arrivals. I haven’t even scraped the surface yet but I don’t know how many people are going to read a novel in the AppStore reviews. I will say that TheFlightTracker little tricky to navigate at first but that’s only because it has so many features. You just have to take a little bit of time to sit down and figure out everything TheFlightTracker has to offer!

I like the interface, and I like that it gives terminal maps for the larger airports, and shows a map of the route, and even gives information on the airlines.

But I don’t like that it doesn’t track changes to the flight itinerary - even though it’s called “flight tracker”. For example, if I book a flight that leaves at 10:00am and the airline subsequently changes the departure time to 9:45, TheFlightTracker doesn’t update it. I currently have three upcoming flights, and the departure time is wrong for two of them. I have double-checked and triple-checked the flight numbers and dates - problem is not on my end. Surely they could do better! Maybe they need to find another server or something.

So, I use TheFlightTracker for the interface and airport information, but FlightView for the flight information. FlightView has an ugly interface, and less detailed information, but it keeps current with the itinerary changes - and currently shows the correct departure and arrival times for all three of my flights!

I was pleasantly surprised to find TheFlightTracker. Unfortunately the airline I use isn’t great for getting timely updates out when there are delays and changes. TheFlightTracker is fantastic for getting me updated much faster than the airline. The one recommendation I have is to give the option for alerts and updates to be in 12 hour time and not 24 hour time which can be annoying. If you’re looking for an app to see where a specific flight is on the map, this isn’t it. This is for alerts that give you status updates for flights that you or family/friends might be on or plan to take.

I’ve been using this since 2018 and used to love it. Interface was easy and responsive. However that has changed. During COVID travel downtime app was upgraded. It is prettier now but doesn’t function as well. When I try to add a flight to a trip, if it accepts the “add” instruction then it takes up to 30 seconds to complete the process. It used to be instantaneous. More frustrating is when it just won’t accept the add instruction. I have to hit “add” multiple times snd the button never grays out. After about 15 attempts it will finally report that the flight was added. After multiple flights are added, the display for the first flight now shows the beginning snd ending cities for the entire trip. Somewhat confusing. Finally, I have a premium subscription but it no longer shares batween my phone and iPad. Very disappointing

I’m going to see if I can find a similar, more simple app...

I got this years ago to find flights of any airlines between cities. It was very useful!

Then “updates” were made. Southwest flights through 3-4 layovers showed up, instead of just direct flights, crowding the screen. Not that big of an issue (I did have to take multiple screen shots to capture the flights)... until more updates and the partner airlines scroll with the US airline. When I go to an airport, I look for Delta, for example... not one of its 5 partners. Now the screen shots have to be timed to capture United, American and Delta.

Ok, workable, I guess. But now each partner airline shows up separately, IN ADDITION to the US airline... which still scrolls through all the partner names. This makes departures for one city to ONE other city exceed 50 listings and TheFlightTracker will not show all flights anymore (despite actual departures being 10-15).

This needs to have an area to choose specific airline(s), quickly, with a search typing the first few characters. NOT a scroll selection where, for example, United Airlines appears at the bottom of hundreds. 1-6 airlines in selection boxes.

I used FlightTracker for almost 3 years when I was commuting across the U.S. The software never let me down. I always knew what time to ask for a pickup or in turn to pick up a loved one, friend, or acquaintance who needed the assistance.

FlightTracker is very easy to use on either a desktop computer, a mobile smart phone or another web-enabled device. TheFlightTracker only takes a minute to load without asking for all kinds of identification or money. I truly appreciate the service.

Statistics on the desktop version is interesting. I’ve also used those stats to determine route patterns and times. Once you take a deep dive you to will be convinced of its features and utility...there’s my plane, gotta go. Get FlightTracker so you know when to come and go.

I’ve tried other flight trackers that need babysitting (constant refreshing) or are flat out unintuitive. I love how I can add “my flights” for arrivals to my local airport and then get real-time updates throughout the day. This makes it extremely efficient for pickups from the airport. I mean how often is a flight actually on time?! They’re either early or oftentimes really delayed. The best thing about TheFlightTracker is the little airplane “cabin ding” alert sound any time there is a status change. It makes me smile every time. To the developers of TheFlightTracker... well done and thank you!

TheFlightTracker is so much worse than it used to be before the major overhaul they did on the structure/UI. I don't think I it has improved in any way since then, but here is what has gotten worse:
(1) it freezes and crashes more often
(2) it separates flights into buckets - upcoming and past. The old UI just had one long list which was super easy to navigate. And now it's actually harder to find you old flights to reference
(3) I have completed flights from weeks ago that it still shows as "in progress"
(4) I used to love the list of flights because I could always go back and look at all of my flights for the year - now that is harder to do with the awkward layout and it is inaccurate because of the issues I've mentioned already
(5) it's no longer intuitive functionality.

Please bring back the old format of TheFlightTracker !

It hasn't happened in the new app but TheFlightTracker used to tell me my flight was delayed or changed well before the airline' site did which is a good feature. Not sure if I've just had flights with fewer changes or if that is no longer the case, but it has always been a major pro for TheFlightTracker.

This is a great program. Have used it for years. I paid a one time fee to in the past until they changed it to a subscription service. I don’t fly that much anymore, but I was flying for a month this year so wanted to use it again. I signed up for a month of premium upgrade, but there is no easy way to unsubscribe. Seems rather crafty and not user-friendly. I would be more apt to buy the one year upgrade if I was going to use it routinely. This traps users into buying at least one extra month which I find distasteful. Other apps make it much easier to opt out of the subscription costs. It should be right there in general settings. But I can't find it.

When I first heard about this, I down loaded that same day. The bad about it is when I was out in the wilderness is when I was told about your system. I forgot that the WiFi did not work well out in the country and tried to download their and by the time I got and, heehee, I had to download again. This took most of the day and part of the night to fin the download. Well, I got it and am still trying to figure out the system. That I don’t mind. Just being aware is what truly matters. Thanks to you all who started the program.

Without the constant ads to purchase the weather maps, I'd rate it a four. But with a valid subscription (12 mo good through November) it's still a constant barrage of "buy our weather map" ad. Not cool. Although they say the maps after included in the premium, I don't even care that I don't have them.. I paid to get rid of that ad. So... Remove the ads or refund the subscriber fees.

Update: although I was initially contacted and told the problem would be addressed, it still pops up adds selling weather map and alerts. I'm giving it 10 days and if it's not fixed, I request my subscription (which is still valid through November) be fully refunded and I'll seek another app for travel. Alerts and weather DO work, but it still constantly advertises to purchase.

Another software developer that destroyed good software with the pursuit of subscriptions - stupid!

I was going to buy the premium / pro version to remove the ads, but the ONLY options are idiotically dumb subscriptions - idiotic for an app that would only be used sporadically.

My policy is to not support cash grabs and economically dumb decisions by developers, and subsequently not only do I not purchase any subscription, but I am also removing TheFlightTracker from my iPhone to further deprive the developer of any ancillary revenue.

Had there been a simple flat fee as an option, I would have purchased it without a second thought - ideally there’d be two separate flat fee options: $4.99 to remove the ads, $9.99 for Premium features activation.

You’d have my $15 by now if you weren’t stupidly greedy with your subscription cash grab!

I used to be able to fully rely on TheFlightTracker, but no longer. I keep trying to search for a flight but come up with “flight not found”. This happens well in advance of the date, close to the date, and I have even been sitting at the airport waiting for that flight.

I used to get notifications on gate changes that showed up prior to the announcement , so I knew I could relax and be confident to have updated information. That function has been unreliable lately, which means I don’t get to relax until i have actually boarded.

I checked to make sure I have the IOS updates and update TheFlightTracker when there are updates, so I am confident the problem is not at my end.

I have been using TheFlightTracker for years. It seemed to have lost my premium membership so I started receiving full page Google ads. Very annoying! So I thought perhaps my premium subscription had expired so I paid for it and again it defaulted to advertisements and stopped adding my flights to the calendar. I tried to cancel my subscription to receive my money back it stated that after cancellation it would continue working for the rest of the subscription. In order words, no refund, cumbersome advertisements and no calendar entries. Forget it. I’m done. If you click and hold on the flight number in your text messages, you now obtain the same information anyway.

This may not be the typical use case, but I’m tracking my wife’s trip to and from JFK. I input the flight number and it shows a simplified cartoon-like icon of the plane headed for NYC. The arrival data seems accurate.
On her return trip, it’s the same flight number, but the map view now shows two planes, one going one way and the other going the opposite direction in the same path. The “gauges” at the airport are devoid of information. Strange.
I switched to FlightAware and that app showed there was a storm system in the way and it accurately tracked the aircraft as it changed course and speed to avoid it. I used Accuweather to confirm the storm and it appears spot on.
I like the near-realtime data and tracking of FlightAware and will switch to that for now.

I downloaded TheFlightTracker after reading the reviews and I wish I hadn't- it's terrible!!! It's extremely inaccurate and hard to use. Gave very little information as to the flight status and when it did it was hard to understand. First it said landed, then it was back in the air, then landed, then back in the air again, then I had no clue what happened to it! I'm going back to Flight Aware. Had that one on at the same time and it gave me all the information I needed!

Love TheFlightTracker and it’s accuracy. UI and notifications are clear and easy to understand. I just wish it would have more realistic flight maps instead of a straight line between the departing and arriving airports. Also with it could pick up on 4 different aircraft times (gate push back, takeoff, landing, and arrival at destination gate) and send alerts for each one in notifications. That would make this an EXCELLENT app!

The new update is terrible, the interface is much worse, and what happened to trips? I used to be able to bundle flights under a trip and now they just list a bunch of flights. Please bring back the old version!

Update:
I was contacted by the developer which I appreciate. Looks like you actually can use trips and bundle flights which is very helpful. I’m still not a huge fan of the new interface as it is not as intuitive, but TheFlightTracker seems to work well. I’d update my star rating to 3 stars.

I thought I’d give TheFlightTracker a try since I was having trouble locating a flight using “Flight Aware”. The flight was added at the last minute to accommodate several pax booted off United the day before due to “weight restrictions”. But, it only showed up on United’s website. TheFlightTracker doesn’t show precise flight info for ANY flight I tried to find and seems overly burdened with intrusive ads. DELETED.

I’ve been using TheFlightTracker for years, although in recent months, I’ve been using it daily to track and monitor the status of several flights per day. The last 3-4 flights specifically have not had the current status accurately displayed. I also now use another flight tracking app as a backup to tell me when these flights actually land. While the other app shows a particular flight has landed, TheFlightTracker has shown the same flight “should’ve landed...” whatever number of minutes ago and will show the flight with an updated time it is expected to land which is sometimes actually in the past. This has happened enough times recently that it seems like a glitch in a recent update. After I’ve picked up whoever was on that inaccurate flight, I will often go back to it and have recently found that it is still shown under those flights that are enroute. They will sometimes have a disclaimer added to them that says the information is out of date and it is because the information has not been submitted by the data provider. I’m very hopeful this can be resolved quickly as I have found TheFlightTracker to otherwise be the most helpful in managing to track multiple flights at the same time.

I’m not willing to pay for the subscription so I’m rating the free version:

The adds are very annoying. I added two flights to My Flights and I tried to figure out heads or tails of the list and wanted to see details. I see a time and City, but no specifics, flight number or much else. I could not find a way to open the flight. I was looking for departure time and it looks like I have arrival time? It did not make any sense. It seems like it’s more important for me to figure out future flight plans than the ones I currently have!!! Big ads and small ones attached to each flight.

This is no good if you’re in a hurry and I know we all are!!!

Used to be good get hit with an ad after searching for a flight. Now it’s after every action. Want to see a flight’s details? Full screen ad. Open TheFlightTracker up to your saved flights? Full screen ad.

Even the list of saved flights has half the screen’s real estate covered by ads leaving enough room for just 3 flights to be displayed on each page.

I have found flight tracker to be a good way to keep a list of my and my family’s flights. It is easy to use. It is helpful to see all flight codes for a flight.
Two suggestions-Show the progress of the plane in terms of a real time icon.
Improve the flight maps - these are confusing.
Overall Flight Tacker is the best app of its kind.