The iPhone's built-in iMessage software can show you the status of your upcoming flight. James Martin/CNET

If you plan on flying during the next big travel season, Spring Break, now's the time to snag your tickets for the best possible price. The downside of traveling during a peak season is that it can be hectic, and changes can happen at any given moment, so staying on top of your flight status is important. 

Luckily, it's never been easier to get up to date information about your flight. You can check your airline's app or website, Google the flight number, and if you have an iPhone, use the sneakily hidden flight tracker.

You read that right -- your iPhone has a flight tracker that you may have never known about unless you were looking for it. Below, we'll show you have to access it in not one, but two places so you never have to go hunting for your flight info elsewhere again. 

For more, don't miss the 13 essential spring break travel items and the real reason to upgrade to the iPhone 16E. 

How to track your flight via iMessage

Before we start, there are a few prerequisites you must meet:

• Make sure iMessage is enabled (it doesn't work with SMS/MMS).
• You'll need your flight number somewhere in your text messages, whether you've sent that information to someone (even yourself) or it's been sent to you.
• The flight number must be sent in this format: [Airline] [Flight number], for example, American Airlines 9707.

Launch the native Messages app on your iPhone and open the text message thread that contains your flight information. You'll know the flight tracker feature works when the text with the flight information appears underlined, which means it's actionable and you can tap on it. 

If your flight is still several months away or it's already passed, you might see a message that says, "Flight information unavailable." You might also see another flight that's not yours because airlines recycle flight numbers.

You can get your flight's details from Spotlight Search, too

You can drop your flight number into your iPhone's Spotlight Search to quickly get the latest details and status of your upcoming flight.  Screenshot by CNET

If getting your flight information from Messages wasn't easy enough, you can also grab the details right from your iPhone's home screen by swiping down and adding your flight number into Spotlight Search. Even better, this works with Spotlight Search on your Mac computer, too. 

How to access the hidden flight tracker

Although the airline name/flight number format highlighted above is the best way to go, there are other texting options that will lead you to the same result. So let's say we stick with American Airlines 9707, other options that may bring up the flight tracker include:

• AmericanAirlines9707 (no spaces)
• AmericanAirlines 9707 (only one space)
• AA9707 (airline name is abbreviated and no space)
• AA 9707 (abbreviated and space)

I would suggest you keep the airline name spelled out completely and add a space between the two pieces of information -- like in the previous section -- because for some airlines these alternative options may not work.

Text the code to preview your flight. Nelson Aguilar/CNET

Track your flight's details in real time

CNET Staff

Once everything is set, tap on the flight information in your text messages. If the feature works correctly, you should see the following two options appear in a quick-action menu:

• Preview Flight: View the flight's details. Tap this if you want to view more information about the flight.
• Copy Flight Code: Copy the flight code to your clipboard (in case you want to send your flight details to someone else via text or email).

If you select Preview Flight, at the top of the window, you'll see the best part of this feature: a real-time flight tracker map. A line will connect the two destinations, and a tiny airplane will move between them, indicating where the flight is at that exact moment.

Underneath the map, you'll see important flight information:

• Airline name and flight number
• Flight status (arriving on time, delayed, canceled, etc.)
• Terminal and gate numbers (for arrival and departure)
• Arrival and departure time
• Flight duration
• Baggage claim (the number of the baggage carousel)

If you swipe left on the bottom half of the flight tracker, you can switch between flights, but only if there's a return flight.

For more travel tips, don't miss how to find cheap plane tickets with Google Flights.