Thanks to a recently introduced feature, iPhone users are now able to check everything they need to know about their flight—from live status to gate number and even baggage claim belt number—just by using iMessage.
As a TikTok that recently went viral amassing almost 1 million likes and 8 million views in just a day's time points out, you just have to text yourself your flight number preceded by the airline code (the letters and sometimes numbers before the actual flight number) and you'll get all the info you want without having to frantically look for updates on the airport screens.
"That text will become a link to tell you everything you need to know about your flight," says the video poster, a former airline employee. "And it will update in real time."
The key to this hack is that iMessage has to be turned on for it to work, as the feature is not available via regular texts. Once you text yourself your flight number and airline code, a hyperlink will show up. Once you click on it, you'll see the option to "preview flight," which will open up a window featuring a live map of your flight route, the status of your flight, origin and destination, terminal and gate info, duration, and baggage claim information.
While a lot of this information might be offered by airline apps, not every airline offers this level of detail—or an app at all, in some cases. As the video poster points out, you should always text this information to whoever is picking you up from the airport as well as yourself. Those picking you up will be able to see live updates on your flight and plan their pickup accordingly. You, on the other hand, will be able to finally stop running across the airport to check airport screens for all sorts of flight details.
Finding your flight code and number isn't difficult. Once you check in for (or even once you book) your flight, make sure to bookmark the confirmation email. That email will contain all the flight numbers for the flights on your itinerary, which you can save and then text yourself on the morning of your flight.
If for some reason you have the flight number but not the airline code, these are the airline codes for some of the major US airlines. They never change, so you don't have to stress about it! Check them out below and save them for your next trip:
- Alaska Airlines: AS
- Allegiant Air: G4
- American Airlines: AA
- Delta Air Lines: DL
- Frontier Airlines: F9
- Hawaiian Airlines: HA
- JetBlue: B6
- Southwest Airlines: WN
- Spirit Airlines: NK
- United Airlines: UA
If your airline isn't listed, you can find its airline code right here, courtesy of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
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