Picture the following scenario!
You’ve just booked a flight ticket with your favorite airline company. You were smart enough to secure your ticket months prior to your actual travel date, perhaps due to your previous experiences with last-minute bookings.
So, you sit pretty and countdown to your travel date, which arrives eventually. But when you arrive at the airport, you’ve greeted with the unpleasant surprise that your reservation is no longer available. That’s when you’ll appreciate the importance of flight tracking, although it may be a little too late for regrets.
Airline companies like United Airlines appreciate that flight bookings don’t always go as planned. As such, they introduced a flight tracking service to assist their clients in monitoring their reservations.
This article examines the United Airlines flight tracker and how to maximize this service.
About United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc., commonly known as United, is an airline that needs no introduction. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the company plies numerous domestic and international routes. It has destinations in all six inhabited continents.
Following its merger with Continental Airlines in 2010, United became the world’s third-largest airline in terms of fleet size and route number. The airline has eight hubs, its largest being O’Hare International Airport. It’s also a founding member of the Star Alliance – the largest airline alliance on the planet, currently boasting 28 member airlines.
Contrary to popular belief (perhaps due to the ‘United’ reference in its name), United Airlines isn’t directly owned by the government of the United States. The company adopted its brand name in the late-1920s following the amalgamation of several airlines. The oldest of these airlines was Varney Air Lines, founded in April 1926 by Walter Varney.
About Flight Tracking
Flight tracking is a general term that denotes the monitoring flights, aircraft, and other airport activities to determine that everything is on schedule. The tracking process is typically done remotely via software.
Flight tracking is an essential service for travelers and those picking up travelers. It allows them to determine when a flight will take off or land. Using the information, one can know the best time to go to the airport.
Several prestigious airline companies, including United Airlines, have adopted the concept of flight tracking. This service offers airline companies a hands-off approach to disseminating crucial flight scheduling information.
Initially, the most effective way to monitor flights would be to contact an airline directly through their customer support center. However, this process proved long and tedious, especially for large airlines handling high call volumes. With the innovative flight tracking technology, you can immediately know if your flight is on schedule by simply checking into an airline’s online tracking page.
How to Check Your Flight Status with United Airlines Flight Tracker
The process of checking your flight status with United Airlines is rather straightforward. Here’s how to go about it;
- Type a relevant search phrase into your browser, such as ‘United Airlines flight tracker’ or ‘United Airlines flight status.’
- Click on the link on your search engine result pages (SERPS).
Alternatively, you could skip steps (i) and (ii) by clicking on this link or pasting (https://www.united.com/en/us/flightstatus) directly onto your browser.
You’ll be taken to a United Airlines page with the company’s emblem and name on the screen’s left side. Other functions will also be displayed on the top right side of the page, such as “BOOK,” “MY TRIPS,” “TRAVEL INFO,” etc. There’s the option of signing into your account too. However, this mostly works if you’re a member of the United Mileage Plus Program. You don’t need to log in if you’re only seeking to track your flight status.
The bottom of the page is where you get to track your flight status with United Airlines. There are two tracking options. You can track your flight by route or flight number.
- If you track by Route, the service will prompt you to enter your flight date, followed by the destinations you’re travelling from and to.
You can track the status of a flight with United Airlines as well as other All-Star Alliances members or Aegean Airlines.
- If tracking by flight number, you simply select the date, enter the flight number, and choose the airline company from the drop-down menu.
- After filling in all the fields, click the purple button marked “Check status.”
- Allow for the page to load.
You’ll be taken to a new page displaying the flight number, departure time, and expected arrival time.
Of more interest is the “On schedule” inscription appearing between Departure and Arrival. This is the surest indication that your flight is on schedule and you can make it to the airport just before the indicated departure or arrival time.
But the United Airlines flight tracker doesn’t stop there.
- You can click “View details” to learn more about the flight.
The new page that loads will display all the information on the previous page plus additional details. These include the gate, terminal, and concourse for the departure and arrival airports.
- Beneath this information, in the middle section of the page, are the aircraft’s details.
Here, you’ll know the plane’s fleet, capacity, and the slots allocated for first and economy classes. Other information includes the cruise speed (miles per hour), engine specifications, wingspan, and seating layout.
- Further down the page, you can view in flight amenities for the first and economy classes.
These include foods and beverages, in-seat power outlets, and entertainment options.
- Lastly, there’s the standby and upgrade list.
Why Is A United Airlines Flight Tracker Necessary?
United Airlines is committed to ensuring that all its flights are within schedule. But as with any aviation scenario, things don’t always go according to plan. Several reasons could lead to flight cancellations. For instance, air planes may be grounded due to bad weather or a global pandemic.
During such scenarios, it pays to keep abreast of all the latest developments regarding your flight. You want to know if your flight is on time, delayed, or cancelled. Regarding delays and cancellations, a United flight tracker may guide you on other arrangements, such as refunds.
Wrap Up
United Airlines is one of the world’s most reliable airline companies. Cases of flight delays or cancellations are almost unheard of unless there are sufficient justifications for them. But for peace of mind, it’s best to stay up-to-date on your flight arrangements using the United Airlines flight tracker.