ComparisonGroupArrivals vs consumer flight tracker apps
Apps such as Flighty or FlightAware are excellent for following your own trips. Here is what changes when you are responsible for a whole list of travelers.
Short answer
Consumer flight tracker apps such as Flighty or FlightAware are excellent for one traveler or a few flights, with detailed flight information and timely alerts on your phone. GroupArrivals is built for a list of travelers: you upload the whole group at once, see every arrival and departure on one board tied to the guests on each flight, and share alerts and views with your team, greeters and client. Use a tracker app for your own trips and a group board for the people you look after.
| What you need | GroupArrivals | Flight tracker apps |
|---|---|---|
| Follow your own trip | Possible, but it is built for groups, so it is more than one traveler needs. | Excellent. This is what they are made for. |
| Rich detail on a single flight | Status, lateness, belt, gate and terminal, plus a live map of the group's planes in the air. | Very detailed flight information and maps for each flight. |
| Add 200 flights at once | Upload one CSV or Excel file. Every flight number is checked to exist. | Flights are usually added one by one, or from one person's own bookings. |
| See which guests are on a flight | Each flight is tied to its travelers, so a delay shows who is affected. | Built around flights rather than a guest list. |
| One view of the whole group | Arrivals and departures by day and airport on one board, with search and an attention only filter. | A list of flights saved on one person's account. |
| Alerts for a team | Email and push alerts to the whole team, combined so nobody is flooded. | Alerts usually go to the person who saved the flight. |
| Connections across a group | Travelers who might miss a connection are flagged across the whole group. | Some apps help with connections on your own trip. For a group, you check each traveler. |
| Check-in at the airport | Optional per group: greeters tap names on a phone link to mark them checked in, even with no signal. | Not what these apps are designed for. |
| Updates for a client | A private live board with totals and flights. Names can be hidden. | Sharing is usually per flight or per trip rather than a group summary. |
| Manifests for transfers | Export arrivals and departures by day, airport or flight as CSV or Excel. | Not designed for transfer manifests. |
| Cost | A one-time group pass or a monthly plan, chosen by group size. | Free versions are common, with paid plans for more features. |
When Flight tracker apps is enough
When a flight tracker app is the better choice: you are following your own trips, a family member's flight, or a few flights for one or two people. They do this very well.
When GroupArrivals fits better
When GroupArrivals is the better fit: you are responsible for a list of travelers, from a dozen guests to a large incentive group, and your team, greeters or client need to see the same picture.
What consumer flight trackers do very well
Apps such as Flighty and FlightAware give travelers detailed, timely information about their own flights: departure and arrival times, gates, delays and maps. For frequent flyers and for anyone picking up a friend at the airport, they are some of the best tools available, and many people already use one.
What changes when you are responsible for a group
A wedding planner or a DMC is not following one trip. They are looking after 60 guests on 25 different flights, often with connections, over several days. The questions also change: who is on the late flight, how many are in, and does the transfer need to wait.
- Adding many flights by hand takes time and invites typos.
- A flight number alone does not tell you which guests are on it.
- Alerts on one person's phone do not reach the rest of the team.
- Greeters need a list of names to check in, not a list of flights.
- Clients want totals and progress, not a set of single flight links.
How a group board works
Upload the group
One CSV or Excel file with each traveler's arrival and departure flights, connections included.
Check the preview
Every flight is checked to exist, likely typos are caught, and travelers whose airports do not match the group are flagged.
Follow arrivals and departures
The board shows each day and airport, with times in the local time of each airport.
Share the right views
Invite the team, send greeters their check-in links if you use them, and send the client their board.
Using both
There is no need to choose one for everything. Many organizers keep their favorite tracker app for their own travel and use a group board for the guests they are responsible for.
Questions about flight tracker apps and groups
Can I keep using my flight tracker app?
Yes. Tracker apps are excellent for your own trips. GroupArrivals is for the list of travelers you are responsible for.
Do I need to download an app?
No, there is no app store app. GroupArrivals works in any browser, and you can add it to your phone's home screen to get push alerts.
Where does the flight data come from?
From an aviation data provider. Only flight numbers and dates are sent to it, never travelers' names.
Does it track departures too?
Yes. The board has Arrivals and Departures tabs, day by day, for each of the group's airports.
Do travelers need to install anything?
No. Travelers only open a link if you ask them to add or correct their own flights.
Guides that go with this
How to track multiple flights for a group
Read the guideGuide for event companies, DMCs and wedding plannersWhat to do when a guest's flight is delayed or cancelled
Read the guideGuide for travel and event teamsHow to spot travelers who might miss a connection
Read the guideGuide for couples and wedding plannersHow to track all your wedding guests' flights
Read the guideSee every featureAll guidesCompare with other ways of working
See your own list on the board today.
Upload your guest list and see every flight on the board before you pay. Live tracking starts at $29 per group.