Delaycast - Predicting Flight Delays
Much like Farecast predicts whether ticket prices are tending up or down, a new start-up Delaycast aims to give US travellers the chances of encountering delays on a particular trip.
Based mathematical models of the U.S. air transportation system to predict delays and cancellations, this will no doubt come as a relief to all those travellers stuck for hours in an airport.
Unlike the historical flight performance statistics found on many travel sites, Delaycast uses predictive modelling technologies that model historical patterns in flight delays and project them into the future. Its Delay Profiles tool provides broad overviews of the best days, times and airlines to choose for a trip, based on selected airports, while its Delay Predictions tool provides information about delays and cancellations for specific airports, airlines, dates and times.
However, as the site cautions, since models are representations of reality they are never exactly accurate, but goes on to claim that across all of our delay duration predictions, month after month, they are within 15 minutes 80 - 90% of the time.
Guess the only service better would be one that actually ensures that your flight is on time.
Filed under: Ideas & Innovations, Startups