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Flying vs airline apps
Your airline’s app handles your booking. Flying keeps watch over every flight you take, on any airline. Here’s how they compare, and why they work best together.
Do I need a flight tracker if I have my airline’s app?
Keep your airline’s app for what only the airline can do: checking in, boarding passes, changing seats, rebooking, and tracking your bags.
Use Flying for everything around the trip. It follows flights on every airline in one place, shows your friends’ flights, forecasts turbulence for your route, shows how airports are running, and keeps a logbook of every flight you take.
Flying and airline apps, feature by feature
As of October 2026.
| Feature | Flying | Airline apps |
|---|---|---|
| Check in and boarding passes | No | Yes |
| Change seats, rebook, and upgrade | No | Yes |
| Track your checked bags | No | Yes |
| Flights on every airline in one app | Yes | No |
| Alerts for delays and gate changes | Yes | PartlyAirlines can wait up to 30 minutes to share a delay. Flying alerts you the moment it knows. |
| Live Activities and Dynamic Island | Yes | Partly |
| Warning when the plane flying in is running late | Yes | Partly |
| Turbulence forecast for your route | Yes | No |
| Airport status and FAA advisories | Yes | No |
| Live security wait times at US airports | Yes | Partly |
| Follow friends’ flights on any airline | Yes | No |
| A logbook of every flight you’ve taken | Yes | No |
| Planes near you and at airports | Yes | No |
Where Flying stands out
Every airline, one app
Every flight you take shows up in one place, whichever airline you’re flying. A trip with a connection on another airline is still one trip.
A heads-up on delays
Flying watches the plane that’s flying in to operate your flight, and warns you when a delay is likely.
Turbulence for your route
See where your flight gets bumpy, how strong it should be, and for how long, at every altitude. See how it works.
Airports at a glance
See how any airport is running, with delays, FAA advisories in plain English, and security wait times at US airports.
Friends’ flights, any airline
Follow friends and family as they fly, whatever airline they’re on, and know exactly when to be at arrivals.
Every flight, one logbook
Every flight you take is saved, building a record of where you’ve been, with your stats and routes on a map.
Flight tracker vs airline app questions, answered.
Do I still need my airline’s app?
Yes, for checking in, boarding passes, changing seats, rebooking, and tracking your bags. Only the airline can do those. Flying covers the rest of the trip, on every airline.
Why use a flight tracker if my airline already sends alerts?
Because Flying often tells you first. Airlines can wait up to 30 minutes to share a delay, while Flying alerts you the moment it knows, so you hear about delays and gate changes sooner and can be first in line to rebook. Flying also follows every flight you take, on any airline, and adds what airline apps don’t: turbulence forecasts for your route, the status of every airport, friends’ flights, and a logbook of every trip.
Can Flying check me in or show my boarding pass?
No. Check-in and boarding passes come from your airline. Your boarding pass can live in Apple Wallet, right alongside Flying.
Which airlines does Flying work with?
Flying follows airline flights around the world, so every trip shows up in one place, even when you fly several airlines.
Is Flying free?
Yes. Flying’s free plan includes flight alerts, your logbook, friends’ flights, airport status, and the Explore tab. Flying Pro adds Live Activities, turbulence forecasts, importing past flights, email forwarding, and calendar sync.
Every flight, every airline, one app.
Flight alerts, turbulence forecasts, airport status, and more, on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Download on the App Store