Flight delay predictor
Flight delays are a common hazard of travel today. Unfortunately, the airlines often do not inform you of these delays until you are already at the airport (or even already on the plane). PC World points out a site called FlightCaster that uses existing data to forecast flight delays:
The free website lets you look up U.S. domestic flights from yesterday, today, or tomorrow. In addition to tracking official delay information for the airline–and basics including the gate number–the site factors in many conditions to estimate your schedule.
FlightCaster’s prediction data-points seem as elegant as they could be effective. FlightCaster tracks your inbound aircraft; that arrival turns into your departure, so unless an airline scrambles an extra jet–which happens on occasion–you can’t leave without that plane. FlightCaster considers current FAA alerts about weather and airport status in your departure and arrival cities. FlightCaster also weighs 10 years of flight data; delays are often predictable based on previous patterns.
All combined, FlightCaster spits back its departure estimation. It even guesses the the length of the hold-up. You might even know that a flight will be delayed before the airline itself, saving you from wasting time at the gate.
I don’t know how accurate the flight-delay forecasts are but, if it works, this site could save a lot of aggravation.
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