To comply with security and airline protocol, air travelers should arrive at the airport well in advance of their flight. Without realizing the probability of adverse conditions at the time of the scheduled departure, they may experience inconvenient delays at the airport. Delays can be short and relatively easy to manage, or they can cause long hours of waiting in crowded airports. Flight delays can even cause forced overnight stays at local hotels or inside the terminal. Travelers could benefit from knowing the likelihood of a delay as it could help them prepare for the wait time. Can an app be developed that predicts the impact of weather on airplane departure times?

Air travelers pay close attention to the local weather because weather may cause flight delays. However, delays can occur when the local airport has great weather, leaving the traveler stranded for hours and/or missing a connecting flight. A departing flight can be delayed because of weather at the destination airport, or a delay could occur if the flight has to be re-routed to avoid hazardous conditions along the traditional flight path. Changing local conditions at airports may also cause delays (examples: wind gusts, wind shear, icing, fog, etc.). All of these variables can be examined with a practical app that combines the various probabilities and gives the user advance warning that a delay is likely.

Using the locator on the mobile device and various airport locations, the app should convey the expected weather conditions to the nearest possible time of departure. Based on flight safety rules, the app should predict whether the flight will take off on time or be delayed.