Flight Foresight: How to see a delay days in the future

The ominous delay. A word that send shivers into the spines of travelers keen on getting to their destination or connecting flight without a hitch. A word that seems to descend without warning. A word, you might be surprised to learn, you can predict hearing before even getting to the airport. 

You don’t need clairvoyance to predict an airline delay, just a little bit of know-how. He most obvious delay factor, one you might have thought of already, is the weather. Knowing if you’re due a few inches of snow, or a thunderstorm in more temperate climates, can make predicting the delay an easy process. What most people don’t consider, though, is the hub you’re leaving from. In certain cities or towns, a small snowstorm wouldn’t be much of an issue. In others, it could mean hours at a standstill.

Another way to determine whether you’ll see delays can be found inside your phone, surprisingly, at least if you’re within the US. Every carrier within the country has to notify the BTS of any reasons for delays. No, not the band. This BTS stands for the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which charts national averages for different kinds of traffic. Some websites and airlines offer this information to tell you whether the plan you’ll be on is delayed, and in certain cases you can track the aircraft. 

Delta Airlines, for example, has the “Where’s my Plane” app, which allows you to track your plane as it’s on its way. Third-party companies also offer this service, including FlightAware. Another app can do that, and much more. Non-emergency delays are managed by the National Aerospace System (NAS), and reported in a way that normal people can’t interpret. However, Flighty is an app designed to interpret these reports and turn them into usable data. Using apps like these can help you to determine whether the plane on its way to take you to your next travel destination is hung up in transit.