If you journey or plan to be there soon Thanksgiving Dayyou may be concerned about flight delays and cancellations. This is fine for typical busy flight dates, but government shutdown has further increased the risk, so it is essential to stay updated on the status of your flight.
Getting up-to-date flight information has never been easier. You can easily check the status of your flight through your airline's app or website – or you can simply use your iPhones secret flight tracker.
You read that right. Your iPhone has a built-in flight tracker, but it's hidden and you may not even realize you have it. Below, we'll show you how to access it so you can have peace of mind while traveling this season.
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How to track your flight via iMessage
Before we begin, you need to meet a few prerequisites:
- Make sure iMessage enabled (does not work with SMS/MMS).
- You'll need your flight number somewhere in text messages, whether you sent that information to someone else (even yourself) or whether it was sent to you.
- The flight number must be sent in the following format: [Airline] [Flight number]for example, American Airlines 9707.
Launch the native Messages app on your iPhone and open a text message thread containing your flight information. You'll know the flight tracking feature is working when the flight information text is underlined, which means it's actionable and you can click on it.
If your flight is still months away or has already passed, you may see a “Flight information unavailable” message. You may also see another flight that is not yours because airlines reuse flight numbers.
You can also check your flight status using Spotlight Search.
You can enter your flight number into Spotlight Search on your iPhone to quickly get the latest information and status of your upcoming flight.
If getting flight information from Messages wasn't easy enough, you can also get detailed information right from your iPhone's home screen by swiping down and adding your flight number to Spotlight search. This also works with Spotlight Search on your Mac.
How to access hidden flight tracking
While the airline name/flight number format highlighted above is the best method, there are other texting options that will get you the same result. So let's say we stick American Airlines 9707Other options that may trigger flight tracking include:
- American Airlines9707 (no spaces)
- American Airlines 9707 (only one place)
- AA9707 (airline name abbreviated and without space)
- AA 9707 (abbreviated and space)
I would advise you to leave the airline name in full and add a space between the two pieces of information – as in the previous section – because for some airlines these alternatives may not work.
Submit the code to view your flight.
Real-time flight tracking
Once everything is set, click on the flight information in text messages. If this feature is working correctly, you should see the following two options in the Quick Actions menu:
- Flight preview: View flight details. Click to view additional flight information.
- Copy flight code: Copy the flight code to your clipboard (in case you want to send your flight information to someone else via SMS or email).
If you choose Flight previewAt the top of the window you'll see the best part of this feature: a real-time flight tracking map. The line will connect the two destinations, and a tiny airplane will fly between them, indicating where the flight is currently located.
Below the map you will see important flight information:
- Airline name and flight number
- Flight status (arriving on time, delay, cancellation, etc.)
- Terminal and gate numbers (for arrival and departure)
- Arrival and departure times
- Flight duration
- Baggage claim (luggage belt number)
If you swipe left on the bottom half of the flight tracker, you can switch between flights, but only if there is a return flight.
Additional Travel Tips Don't Miss our test on whether AI can help you fly more eco-friendly.
