Travelers often don't know how full their flights will be until they board, which affects comfort, health considerations, and seating choices. Currently, there's no reliable way to check flight occupancy in real-time before departure, leaving passengers in the dark when making travel decisions.

A Clearer View of Flight Occupancy

One approach could be creating a tool that shows how many seats are booked on upcoming flights. Users would enter their flight details to see:

• The percentage of seats occupied
• A visual seat map showing taken/available spaces
• How full similar flights typically are

Making It Work for Everyone

Airlines might share this data because it could help them fill flights more evenly and sell last-minute upgrades. Travelers would benefit from being able to pick less crowded flights when possible. Initial versions could start by estimating occupancy based on historical patterns before adding real-time data.

Starting Simple

An early version might just analyze past flight data to predict how full a flight will likely be. As more travelers use it, the system could incorporate real reports to improve accuracy. Eventually, direct connections with airline booking systems could provide the most current information.

While airlines currently guard this data closely, demonstrating passenger demand for transparency could encourage cooperation. The tool could begin with estimates and crowdsourced reports while working toward official data partnerships.