Even if you didn’t fly anywhere this summer, you probably heard about the massive IT outage that affected computers using both CrowdStrike and the Windows operating system. The failure rendered these devices unusable, leaving employees at hospitals, banking institutions, airlines, and other businesses unable to perform their essential duties. It was a mess.
For airlines, this has resulted in thousands of canceled and delayed flights, and to make matters worse, people who were scheduled to fly during the power outage have difficulty even knowing if their flight will be affected. It became. That’s all in the past and we hope that an event of such magnitude doesn’t happen again anytime soon, but if an airline’s website or app malfunctions, there’s no alternative to checking your flight status. You may have a choice: the iPhone.
The Messages app on your iPhone has a built-in flight tracker that lets you view flight status details and instantly share them with someone. We’ll show you how below.
For more, don’t miss the best and worst airlines for flight cancellations, and the best hidden features of iOS 18.
How to track flights via iMessage
There are some prerequisites you must meet before you begin.
- Make sure iMessage is enabled (does not work with SMS/MMS).
- Whether you’re sending the information to someone (even yourself) or to yourself, you’ll need the flight number somewhere in your text message.
- Flight numbers must be sent in the following format: [Airline] [Flight number]Example: American Airlines 9707.
Launch the native Messages app on your iPhone and open the text message thread containing your flight information. You’ll know the flight tracker feature is working when the text containing flight information is underlined. This means the feature is executable and tapable.
If you still have a few months left until your flight, or your flight has already passed, you may see a message that says “Flight information not available.” Airlines reuse flight numbers, so you may see a different flight than yours.
How to access hidden flight tracker
The airline name/flight number format highlighted above is the best method, but there are other text message options that can achieve the same results. So let’s say we stick with American Airlines 9707other options to view your flight tracker include:
- american airlines 9707 (Do not include spaces)
- American Airlines 9707 (only one space)
- AA9707 (Airline names are abbreviations with no spaces)
- AA9707 (abbreviations and spaces)
As with the previous section, we recommend spelling out the airline name completely and adding a space between the two pieces of information, as these alternative options may not work for some airlines.
Preview your flight by texting the code.
Track flight details in real time
Once everything is set up, tap the flight information in the text message. If the feature is working correctly, you should see two options in the quick action menu:
- preview flight: Display flight details. Tap this if you want to see detailed information about your flight.
- Copy flight code: Copy the flight code to your clipboard (if you want to send flight details to someone by text or email).
If selected preview flightAt the top of the window, you’ll see the best part of this feature: a real-time flight tracking map. A line connects the two destinations and a small plane moves between them to indicate the flight’s location at that moment.
Important flight information is displayed below the map.
- Airline name and flight number
- Flight status (arriving on time, delays, cancellations, etc.)
- Terminal and gate number (at arrival and departure)
- Arrival and departure times
- flight time
- Baggage claim area (baggage carousel number)
You can switch between flights by swiping the bottom half of your flight tracker to the left, but only if you have a return flight.
For more information, don’t miss how to get your iPhone out of emergency SOS mode and hidden Safari features on your Mac that make multitasking easier.
