Know the Moment Your Grandson's Plane Lands
SkyText sends you a text the second his flight touches down — no apps, no airline websites, nothing he has to do.
By Tom Walsh
Track a FlightMy grandson Tyler flew out from Denver to visit us last Christmas. He's nineteen now, a sophomore at Colorado State, and he's done the trip before — but that doesn't mean I stop watching the clock. His flight was supposed to get in around 2pm, and by 1:45 I was refreshing the airline website on my tablet, which kept asking me to log in to something and then showing me a map I couldn't figure out.
He texted when he boarded, which was sweet, but after that — nothing. That's just how it is. He's not going to pull out his phone the second he lands and text his grandmother. He's 19, he's got a bag to grab, maybe a friend picking him up. I get it. But that doesn't make the waiting any easier.
SkyText was actually my daughter's idea. She found it when she was tracking a flight herself and mentioned it to me. You pay a small fee, enter the flight details, put in up to five phone numbers, and when that flight lands, everyone on the list gets a text. No app on my end, no app on Tyler's end, nothing he has to do at all.
The first time I used it, I was sitting in my kitchen with a cup of coffee, and at 2:07pm my phone buzzed. Tyler's flight had landed. I texted him a few minutes later — "I know you're on the ground, I got the alert. No rush." He called me back laughing, said it was the most grandma thing I'd ever done. I took that as a compliment.
Now I use it every time he flies. It's become part of the routine. I don't need to sit by the window or keep checking the airline site. When he lands, my phone tells me.
The challenge
What makes this difficult.
- Flight tracking websites are confusing and hard to navigate
- Your grandson doesn't always remember to text when he lands
- Knowing when to leave for the airport or when to expect his call
- Waiting without knowing whether the flight is running on time
The solution
How SkyText helps.
- You get an automatic text the second his flight lands — no checking required
- No apps or accounts needed on your end or his
- Up to 5 family members can receive the same alert at the same time
- Works on any phone — smartphone or basic cell phone
How it works
Three steps to peace of mind.
Enter the flight number
Type the flight number. We verify it against live data.
Add your phone number
Enter the mobile number where you want to receive updates.
Get a text when they land
We track the flight and send you an SMS when it touches down.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
My grandson doesn't know I'm tracking his flight. Is that okay?
Completely fine. SkyText monitors publicly available flight data — the same information the airline publishes. You're not tracking his location or accessing anything private. You're just getting a text when his flight lands.
What if his flight has a layover?
You can set up a separate SkyText alert for each leg of the journey. Most people just set up the final flight — the one arriving at the airport closest to them — since that's the one that matters for timing a pickup or a call.
I'm not great with technology. Is this hard to set up?
It's designed to be straightforward. You go to the SkyText website, enter the flight number, put in the phone numbers you want to receive the text, and pay the fee. No account to create, no app to download, nothing to do after that.
Founder, SkyText
Aviation lover who built SkyText because families deserve to know when someone lands safely. Has tracked more flights than he'd like to admit.