It’s summer travel season here, and even if you don’t get on a plane, you probably know someone who does. And if they visit you, it is very important that you keep a record of their flight.
You need to know if the flight is expected to arrive early or if it’s cancelled altogether, especially if you’re picking someone up at the airport. Obviously, you can check this information from an airline’s app or website, but there’s another way to track a flight without even having to leave your iPhone’s Messages app.
That’s right. There’s a hidden flight tracker built into iMessage that you probably would never have noticed unless you included the right combination of details in a message.
It’s easy to check the flight status and you can easily share the information with anyone else who needs to know.
For more from Apple, check out how texting becomes more expressive in iOS 18 and how you’ll be able to schedule text messages, too. If you want to try out these features now, you can download the second developer beta for iOS 18 here.
How to track your flight via iMessage
Before you get started, there are a few prerequisites you need to meet:
- Make sure iMessage is enabled (does not work with SMS/MMS).
- You’ll need your flight number somewhere in your text messages, whether you’ve sent that information to someone (including yourself) or they’ve sent it to you.
- The flight number must be sent in this format: [Airline] [Flight number]for 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 tracking feature is working when the text with the flight information appears underlined, meaning it’s actionable and you can tap on it.
How to access hidden flight tracker
While the airline name/flight number format highlighted above is the best way to go, there are other texting options that will get you to the same result. So let’s say we stick with American Airlines 9707Other options that can open the flight tracker include:
- AmericanAirlines9707 (No spaces)
- American Airlines 9707 (only one space)
- AA9707 (the airline name is abbreviated and without spaces)
- AA 9707 (abbreviated and space)
I would suggest that you keep the airline name written completely and add a space between the two pieces of information, as in the previous section, because for some airlines these alternative options may not work.
Text the code to preview your flight.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
Follow your flight details in real time
Flight tracker integrated into iMessage
Blake Stimac/CNET
Once everything is set up, tap on the flight information in your text messages. If the feature is working properly, you should see the following two options appear in a quick action menu:
- Flight preview– View flight details. Tap here if you want to see more information about the flight.
- Copy flight code: Copy the flight code to your clipboard (in case you want to send your flight details to someone else via text or email).
If you select Flight preview, at the top of the window, you’ll see the best part of this feature: a real-time flight tracking map. A line will connect the two destinations, and a tiny plane will move between them, indicating where the flight is at that exact moment.
Below the map you will see important information about the flight:
- Airline name and flight number.
- Flight status (arrive on time, late, cancelled, etc.)
- Terminal and gate numbers (for arrival and departure)
- Arrival and departure time
- Flight Time
- Baggage claim (the baggage carousel number)
If you swipe left on the bottom half of the flight tracker, you can switch between flights, but only if there is a return flight.
For more information, don’t miss how to get your iPhone out of Emergency SOS mode and the hidden Safari feature on your Mac that makes multitasking easier.
