This Popular Flight-tracking App Just Launched a New Feature That Tells You Exactly When to Leave for the Airport

Getting to the airport on time—but without too much time—is easier said than done. That’s where Flighty comes in.

The travel app’s new feature, When to Leave, tells passengers exactly when they should walk out the front door, then tracks the trip and sends updates along the way, the company exclusively told Travel + Leisure. The feature launches Wednesday and is available through Flighty Prothe paid version of the app.

“Millions of travelers already trust Flighty to tell them what’s happening with their flight,” Ryan Jones, Flighty’s CEO, said in a statement shared with T+L. “Now we’re helping beyond the flight with a personalized plan from door to departure, bridging travel time and airport routine in one simple timeline.”

Here’s how it works: Travelers enter their flight details and departure location and Flighty generates a personalized leave time. The app then works in the background, constantly checking and confirming that leave time using Apple Maps’ drive times based on predicted traffic. Twenty minutes before it recommends travelers walk out the door, Flighty sends out a “leave soon” alert. If things change, Flighty sends updates so travelers won’t need to constantly check their phones.

As part of the feature, Flighty flags local public holidays, which can potentially affect drive times or airport congestion.

The feature is designed for drivers, but the company said passengers using other means of transportation can enter their own needed travel times.

Once travelers are at the airport, Flighty shifts the focus to “airport time,” which can be viewed as a single block or broken out by in-airport tasks, like parking, check-in, and security.

Flighty’s new alert feature is available on iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS for use in more than 14,000 airports around the world.

While the new feature is not part of the free app, all users receive one free flight trial. After that, the pro version of Flighty costs $4.99 per month or $59.99 per year. Flighty Pro allows travelers to track unlimited flights with live, real-time updates, sends instant alerts for delays and changes, as well as keeps a complete record of passengers’ past flights.

Generally, experts recommend arriving at the airport at least two hours before domestic flights and at least three hours before international flights. That’s because tasks like finding parking can result in potentially unexpected delays. However, expedited security programs like TSA PreCheck or Clear can help make the airport screening process faster and smoother.

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure