Air travel takes a lot out of me. Although I travel a lot and use some of the best travel apps, I simply don't do well in unpredictable situations. The whole experience is much more tolerable, however, when I can get as much detailed information as possible to shape my expectations. For example, before I book my ticket, I want to know: Can I avoid a connection? Is my flight likely to be delayed? Am I in for any surprises in the seat I selected?

The five tips below will give you more information than the average traveler.

1. See the History of On-Time Status

FlightAware helps you track the real-time status of any flight. It also has a history of the same flight with details on the actual takeoff and landing times, as well as flight duration. Just look up your flight and scroll down to Past Flights. To see more, scroll to the chart at the bottom and select View More Flight History.

(Credit: FlightAware/PCMag)

The flight history details don't guarantee that your plane will leave or arrive on time, but the information might help set your expectations. For example, if a flight routinely leaves late and arrives late, you might opt for a longer layover before trying to catch a connecting flight. Meanwhile, seeing that a flight has a history of being on time might set your mind at ease.

2. Check the Official Record for Why Flights Are Delayed

The US Bureau of Transportation Statistics keeps track of the official cause of flight delays, and the results can be eye-opening. Look at statistics across all airports in the US or drill down to your specific airport—and even the carrier you plan to fly at said airport.

(Credit: US Bureau of Transportation Statistics/PCMag)

While you might think weather plays a huge role in delays, the data tell a different story. Throughout 2024, less than 1% of all delays at US airports were the result of weather, whereas 7.5% were due to the aircraft arriving late. That means tracking your aircraft's previous flight might be just as good a use of your time as tracking summer storms.

3. Track Your Plane's Previous Flight

Here's how to find out if your flight is stuck somewhere else. Go to FlightAware, look up your flight, and on the details page, click on Where is my plane now? or Track inbound plane.

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(Credit: FlightAware/PCMag)

From there, FlightAware will tell you the status of the aircraft's previously scheduled flight, so you'll know if your plane is even at the right airport yet.

4. Look Up Where You Can Fly Direct

I use FlightConnections and DirectFlights to find out where to catch a nonstop flight from any airport. For people who live within driving distance of a few different airports, learning where you can fly direct is a huge help in picking the best route—or destination. For example, my sister and her family live in Buffalo, NY, but they're willing to drive to Toronto to catch an international flight because there are many more options out of the latter airport that don't require a connection.

The only real difference I've noticed between FlightDirect and DirectFlights is that the latter is more likely to include routes that are ending soon or have ended, whereas FlightConnections seems to remove them faster. If you say to yourself, "I could have sworn there was a direct flight between Toronto and Bucharest," DirectFlights will let you know that you're not crazy—that route ended in April 2023.

(Credit: DirectFlights/PCMag)

5. Review the Dirty Details of Your Seat Options

If you select your airplane seats in advance (usually for a fee), even an upgraded seat could come with a hitch—the plane's emergency slide could impede legroom for a bulkhead emergency exit row seat, for instance.

(Credit: SeatGuru/PCMag)

SeatGuru is pretty good about giving you the dirty details of every seat on every aircraft, which you can look up by flight number. Something to be mindful of: Occasionally, a particular route will use more than one aircraft, so if you look up the seats too far in advance, you might get the wrong option.

Tired of traveling by air? See our list of the best apps for finding train and bus tickets.