If there’s anything worse than getting to an airport two hours in advance, only to realize that your flight has been delayed, we don’t want to know about it. But hopefully, you can avoid such injustices in the future with a new app. Meet Flightsayer, a new iPhone app that promises to predict flight delays hours, days, and even weeks before your scheduled departure. And in addition to predicting these inconveniences, the app also suggests alternatives, helping you get on with your travel plans even when the airlines (or the weather patterns) aren’t cooperating.
By analyzing data and leveraging machine learning, Flightsayer promises to predict flight delays across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. By examining weather, real-time airline information, FAA airspace data, taxi and flight times between airports, and airport schedules, the app promises to identify patterns that could result in delays. And thanks to machine learning, Flightsayer is also able to anticipate a domino effect, so even if there’s no nefarious weather in your particular airport, the app can tell if weather patterns elsewhere might delay inbound flights.
Within the app, you’ll be able to see, on a scale of one to ten, how likely a delay or cancellation may be. Should a travel disruption be likely, Flightsayer helps you source and compare alternative flights.
“Everyone who has experienced a flight delay knows how frustrating it can be,” said Bala Chandran, co-founder and CEO of Flightsayer. “Unfortunately flyers can see this risk but have no way of measuring it and/or preventing it. Flightsayer was created so that not only can you see the risk of your flight being delayed, but also quickly seek a better alternative.”
As it stands, the app can be downloaded free of charge. The team also plans to expand its flight delay predictions to routes around the world. “We have seen the price of flights plummet in recent years thanks to technical innovation but flight delays remain a consistent — almost expected — issue,” added Chandran. “Every few weeks we hear news of passengers delayed on the tarmac. Thankfully, we believe that with tech we can mitigate this risk and eventually make the industry more efficient.”
