Let’s be honest. No one loves picking up someone from the airport. If you’ve been chosen for this task, take it as a badge of honor. It means you’re a trusted friend.
But trusted or not, it doesn’t mean you need to be stuck there waiting to know where they are. Sick of circling or whiling away time in the cell phone lot? You’re going to love this.
“Hey, have you landed yet?”
Don’t wait for them to call or text. With these apps, you’ll never be staring at your phone waiting for a reply.
- My favorite option is FlightAware. Type in the flight number and you’ll see where it is in the sky. You’re not limited to tracking your friend’s flight; you can even see if rain might delay them with the weather radar overlay. Try it on the web or your phone.
- Flightradar24 is fun. Open up your camera, point it at any airplane you see and you’ll see the flight number, departure point and destination. It’s powered by ADS-B receivers and can receive signals from the aircraft. Download it here.
- If you fancy yourself an aviation geek, go with Plane Finder. You can track planes using flight numbers, routes or even tail numbers. It also has departure and arrival boards.
- For the basics, Google Flights gets the job done. Search for a flight number on Google and a box with details like arrival time and gate info will pop up.