A flight tracker app may seem tiny but is a very strategic part of the travel industry. With a flight tracker app, travelers can see all the flights that are coming and going from a specific airport. It helps them plan their trip much better and also helps them organize their stay a lot better. Not to mention, anyone can track their loved ones’ flights in real-time with the help of a universal flight tracking app like Flightradar24. Isn’t it amazing?
Moreover, if you are dealing in travel services, you need to be aware of the technological advances around you. Several technologies can help a travel company to reach more customers. And flight tracker app development is one of them.
Travel companies indeed have more than enough on their plates. But with so many flights, destinations, hotels, and tours, creating a perfect experience for customers is impossible. Besides, with all the competition out there, nobody is developing a flight tracker app like Flightradar24.
If you have already made up your mind to make an app like Flightradar24, this blog treasures meaningful information for you. From features to the business model of Flightradar24, you will get to know even how to start your flight tracker app development. So, let’s begin with a brief about Flightradar24. Shall we?
Flightradar24, are you ready to explore?
Flightradar24 is a flight tracking service that displays arrivals and departures from airports and aircraft positions worldwide on a map in real-time. In addition, it allows users to view the traffic around any airport in the world. Flightradar24 has been in business for over ten years and has grown to cover all major airlines and airports globally.
The idea of Flightradar24 was formed out of a hobby of a Swedish duo that grew up to be a network in 2009. It receives ADS-B signals sent by aircraft and collected by satellites orbiting around the earth in real-time.
On the contrary, users can use the Flightradar24 website or download the mobile application to track any flights. The Flightradar24 app is free and easy to use. The app offers a live flight tracker as well as historical flight data, such as arrival and departure times, gate numbers, delays, canceled flights, the plane’s route, and destination.
Want to help people find out information about any flights and route and destination? Don’t forget to add the below features to your flight tracking app.
Noteworthy Features to develop a flight tracker app like Flightradar24
- Search, save upcoming flights, and watch aircraft move around in real-time;
- Push notifications about terminal and gate shifts, airplanes arrival and departure, flight changes, cancellations, etc.;
- Organize flights as per the trip
- Tap on a plane on the map for flight details, including route, ETA, the actual time of departure, aircraft type, speed, photos, altitude & more;
- Filter flight by altitude, airline, etc.;
- Share travel schedule with family and friends;
- Sync calendar with flight schedule;
- Wear OS support for getting basic flight information and nearby aircraft list;
- Light and Dark themes are available
- Playback of past flights
- Pilot view in 3D
Before you wonder how Flightradar24 offers such incredible features, let me tell you something. Flight Data Apps like Flightradar24 are created using Big Data, APIs and Libraries, Backend, Web and Mobile Development, and Profitability.
Takeaway: Building a successful flight tracker app is quite challenging, but it can be done if you have the right tools and process.
How can you monetize a flight tracker app like Flightradar24?
Monetization is a crucial matter in any mobile app development. Given there are plenty of revenue streams to choose from. But to choose right has always been a challenge. When it comes to creating a flight tracking app, our experience suggests following Flightradar24’s.
Seemingly, Flightradar24 is free. But it also offers two different types of premium plans for aviation lovers, helping them dive deep. They are:
Flightradar24 Silver ($1.49/month) with features such as:
- Ads remove
- 90 days of flight tracking history
- Personalized alerts
- The weather details of 3000+ airports
- Aircraft serial number and more details
- Enhanced and unlimited 3D view
The Gold subscription (3.99/month) that more offer features including silver plan such as:
- 365 days of flight history
- Aviation weather layers
- A look into air traffic control boundaries
- Advanced flight details like actual speed, GPS altitude, wind
Then, there is also a business subscription plan at 49.99/month that comes with all the gold features but with more intensity. Despite subscription models, Flight tracking apps like Flightradar24 also generate revenue through Advertisements.
Flight tracking app development steps
It’s time we look into the actual process of developing a flight tracking app like Flightradar24.
Competitive research
If there are already flight trackers out there, then you should research your competitors and try to find out how their features work and how much money they’re making. A great way to do this is by reading customer reviews and studying their screenshots.
Outline app features
Now that you have studied existing solutions and their features, you need to list out your project requirements. You can take the help of business analysts to prepare a concrete project document entailing functional, non-functional, and technological requirements.
Visualize your app through wireframing or prototyping
Once you have documented your flight tracking app features, start giving your app a shape. Wireframing or prototyping can be helpful to lay out the app features and screens that result in an intuitive experience. If you are not a designer, you must hire a UI/UX designer.
Hire your technology partner
You will need to hire app developers with platform expertise you are targeting, Android, iOS, Web, or all. On top of that, a tester to assure app quality and a project manager to align the whole project is also crucial.
Test and launch your app
After coding and designing, but before you launch the app, there is a stage called testing to find and remove potential bugs. This stage also gives you time to ensure that it meets app stores’ security and design guidelines. If everything goes well, your app is set in motion.
Finally
So, that is the journey to create a flight tracking app like Flightradar24. But it’s not the end. The real game starts after launching the app. Your app will receive feedback from early adopters that you must pay attention to. It might take some time for it to grow and gain popularity.
However, you can seek out social media and other platforms to market and lure aviation enthusiasts to your app and expand its reach. And just like that, you’ll keep improving and growing.