flight track pro -- for free at starbucks

my friend had recommended flight track -- a free app for the iphone. he actually recommended flight track pro for $9.99, but i was way too cheap (heck, i even list my home address in alberta to save on the pst!). i've been using it ever since because it's a quick way to look up flights, find delays, and keep track of flights that other people are taking. yes, you could get it all on the airline or airport website. and in the case of united airlines, you could get even more useful information on the united app. but flight track combines it all.

then today, at starbucks, i found out that it was the app pick of the week. it is free!

 

what i like most about flight track is that it is a searchable database of flights for virtually all the airlines that one would care about. it does not include charter or private flights, obviously. so for example, i searched for ac1 today, and it popped up. it told me when it actually departed and its estimated time of arrival. i have noticed that on flights that i take prior to departure, it updates me with regards to delays. it even has a tool which can use its previously gathered data to tell you its on-time performance. you can interpret that data however you want.

 

the fun feature is tracking where the plane is now. it's not the exact flight path ... or where the flight is at the exact moment. at least i don't think it does. i suspect that it has to do with expected location given the estimated departure time, arrival time, and flight time. but you can take a screen shot while your friend is in flight so that you can show them later. "see! i did think of you as you were in the air!" for some reason, you can zoom in and out on the map in the free version, but not with the paid version.

according to the app store, and you get push alerts, airport delay predictions, and synced flight itineraries. i haven't actually played with those yet. in fact, i was perfectly happy with the free version. but why stick with free version when you can get the paid version for the same price?