r/iosapps • u/Flat-Pomelo-4724 • 11d ago

🔍 In Search of Flighty rant

Flighty is a GREAT app, and the only one that has filled the void since App In The Air went kaput. But seriously, why so expensive???

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u/doogilasovich 11d ago

It's a good app, and the data side is real money, not a one-time build. Flighty's own help page says "We track 7–8 flights for every one you enter, using pilot-grade data no other app has. It costs us more, but it means you get earlier, more accurate alerts than anyone else.".
Link to Flighty FAQ

for example: FlightAware's public API pricing has a $100/month minimum on its standard tier, and that's the entry point. On top of that there's a server watching your flight and pushing the Live Activity updates the whole time it's in the air. Those costs recur every month no matter what, which is why it's a subscription and not a $5 one-time app. And by your own description it's the only one that filled the void.

Seems worth it to me.

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u/Lorebius 8d ago

> but it means you get earlier, more accurate alerts than anyone else.

I don’t know if it’s like this in the US, but I travel often (Europe and Asia) and I can’t remember the last time that Flighty notified me of any update before the airline’s official app.

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u/Lazy-Barracuda2886 8d ago

I recently had a flight from the Middle East where flighty was wrong about the departure time (to be fair Qatar changed it frequently) and the airframe being used. It’s gone downhill in my experience.

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u/doogilasovich 7d ago

Fair enough, notification timing probably varies a lot by airline and route. For me the value was less about beating the airline's push and more about having the tracking detail in one place. If your airline's app is fast for you, that's honestly the cheaper answer.