Catch That Plane!

Catch That Plane!

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
Albert Einstein

Last week, I headed to LAX to catch an early morning flight to Austin, Texas. En route, I suddenly remembered that they’ve been remodeling American Airlines Terminal 4 and that some flights had been rerouted to Terminal 3. Or had they already finished the remodel, and so was everything out of Terminal 4 again?

I didn’t want to miss my flight by going to the wrong terminal. Suddenly, I remembered an encounter from a few years ago, which solved my dilemma, and which might help you too, in similar situations.

While fueling my car near the airport, a limo driver at the next pump asked me to check on a flight for him.

I said, “Sure,” and pulled out my iPhone, not exactly certain what the fastest way might be to check the arrival time for an incoming flight.

“What airline are you looking for?” I asked. Sensing my confusion, he said, “Oh, you don’t need to go to a website, just go to Google and enter SW 1624.”

Surprised, I did that, and seconds later the exact information for his flight popped up–no website, no other flights, nothing, except the information he needed.

So I have been doing that ever since. I typed in AA 1138, and away I went. It’s in real time, so if the plane is late, the program adjusts for that as well. It tells you the terminal and gate location. It works for any commercial flight, anywhere in the world. Sometimes, it does help to write the name of your airline, but, generally, it’s not necessary.

Oh, in case you’re wondering, they have finished the remodel, and American is back at Terminal 4.