Sydney Airport has dropped its iPhone and Android apps which let passengers track their domestic and international flights, including keeping an eye on changes to departure gates and delays to boarding.
The apps are no longer available from the respective platform's app stores, and a spokesperson for Sydney Airport confirmed that both have been withdrawn from the market.
A change in usage from when the apps were launched in 2011 (on the iPhone) and 2013 (for Android) is understood to have led to the airport's decision to no longer develop or support the smartphone software.
Sydney Airport says that passengers are now making more use of alternative channels such as the airport's mobile-friendly website along with each airline's own apps.
Flight information is also available at sydneyairport.com.au/flights and via automated services on Twitter and Facebook, with notifications served by tweeting a flight number to @flySYD or sending a Facebook message with the flight number to the @flySYD Facebook page.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
07 Jun 2016
Total posts 29
Finally some common sense in a world where ever minuscule task has its own app developed for without ever questioning why. Give me a good website that also works on mobile and I’ll be happy
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 Jan 2015
Total posts 71
Despite the lack of updates/modernisation, I quite liked the push notifications sent via the app. Subscribing to notifications via the website now requires you to connect to a social network and I find that they don't always arrive in a timely manner.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
10 Jan 2012
Total posts 258
Personally I prefer an app to a "mobile friendly" (which many never are) website. But travellers these days have a number of other options to find their flight info. Even FlightRadar24 now lists gate information.
03 May 2013
Total posts 680
I know many people including myself who used that app religiously. fail Sydney airport. Mobile sites don't always work as well. Wow big cost base to keep it going i ind very hard to believe.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer Platinum
07 Feb 2013
Total posts 548
Oh boo hoo I'm sure you will get over it and learn how to access a web page. Your statement of 'mobile sites don't always work well' is just ludicrous.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
19 Feb 2014
Total posts 439
Even people who can't tell the difference between a 737 and A380 use FlightRadar24.com to check arrivals and departures now, so it's hardly surprising.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
10 Nov 2011
Total posts 130
Makes sense. I think Flight Aware is much better and you can often see where your inbound plane actually is and see delays way before the airport screens are showing them.
29 May 2015
Total posts 4
The airport did what’s good for them but not good for the passengers. Clearly SYD weren’t able to get the app working as well as it should, so they killed it. Disappointing, because push notifications for your designated flights at airports are awesome. Waiting for the announcement (often inaudible especially in T1) or looking for a screen, gives me work to do! Push notifications push me to act only when necessary.
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