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“What number are we for takeoff?” is one of the most common questions travelers ask while taxiing for departure, especially at the country’s busiest hubs.
The good news is that if you’re on one of United’s newly retrofitted planes, you no longer need to wait for the pilot to tell you.
That’s because United is quietly rolling out a new “Control Tower” view on its inflight entertainment system, giving you a live look at all the planes taxiing around you.
Using United Control Tower view
For instance, I was just flying from Newark to Las Vegas, and when we pushed back, I opened the flight map and clicked Control Tower view.
Suddenly, every aircraft on the ground at Newark appeared on screen, each represented by a mini plane icon. Departing United flights showed up in light blue, other airlines in light gray, and United aircraft parked at the gate in baby blue.
My own plane was marked with a large blue arrow pointing in the direction of travel, making it easy to track our position on the maze of taxiways.
Even better, you can tap any aircraft to see the flight number and aircraft type.
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Aviation enthusiasts will appreciate that the identifiers reflect the operating carrier. For example, RPA3695 would appear as-is, since it’s actually United Express Flight 3695 operated by Republic Airways. (The map isn’t yet smart enough to color-code regional affiliates as United, so they show up in gray.)
Using the feature, I estimated our takeoff wait at under 10 minutes. With that kind of luck, I headed straight for the blackjack table when I landed in Vegas. (I wasn’t as lucky there.)
More about United’s Control Tower view
A few notes about the new Control Tower view:
- Control Tower view only appears while you’re on the ground at your departure or arrival airport.
- It’s currently limited to jets equipped with United’s newest inflight entertainment and connectivity systems.
- It relies on technology from FlightPath3D and Betria Interactive.
- The feature is powered by the flight deck’s navigation systems and a live feed of planes from FlightAware.
If you’re flying another airline or a plane without the newest system, FlightRadar24 is still your best bet. It offers similar real-time positioning, plus extra details like route, altitude, aircraft age, and more.
It’s what I’ve been using for years.
Now, United just needs to bring back Channel 9 so aviation geeks can listen to live air traffic control transmissions again. Then, United can truly proclaim it’s the best airline for avgeeks.
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