Every Friday I co-host the popular #TravelSkills Twitter chat with Chris McGinnis. I love participating for a number of reasons, among them the fact that I always pick up new tip, tricks, websites, and apps each week.
That’s exactly what happened last week when Heather Poole, a flight attendant for a major airline, answered this question: “Best tips for dealing with flight cancellations and weather delays?” Heather’s answer was: “Tips for dealing with travel cancellations or delays: download the FAAWait app to get up to date information regarding FAA airport delays. You’ll know more than the agent or crew.”
Of course, I immediately downloaded FAAWait for $0.99 (it looks like it’s only available for iOS) because I love being in the know. What FAAWait does is provide real-time access to current air traffic delays at all U.S. airports. It utilizes a data feed maintained by the FAA that tracks departure and arrival delays, ground stops and ground delays. To access this information, an active internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular) is required.
Important note: FAAwait does not provide status information for specific flights. But by monitoring airport traffic conditions, you can often anticipate delays that may impact your travel, sometimes before the airlines themselves officially update their schedules.
Another important note: This app is not provided or endorsed by the FAA.
I use Trip Case app for all my flights. The app has no fee. On 2 occasions I have received notifications from Trip Case of flight delays before receiving from the airlines. On one occasion I was on the phone with Delta reservations and received a text of an update. I thank the woman in reservations. Then she said “I didn’t send it”. That’s when I knew I had a winner.
Does anyone know of a similar Flightwait for European flights?