Here is an update from the developer:
On July 1st we released an update of Flight Update Pro. This version keeps track of each device’s usage of flights and sets a limit of 5 flights per month. This is included in the price of the app. This was a necessity after losing money for 3 years. We have and continue to use the same flight status and schedule service we have for the last 11 years. For the first 8 years we were charged a fixed price. THEN 3 years ago they were bought out and began charging us for EVERY request we made to their service. For 2 years we lost money and then last year we began charging for push notifications which almost allowed us to break even.
Any user wishing to track more than 5 flight per month will need to upgrade to the subscription that allows 20 flights per month or 50 flights per month. Today I am submitting another update that will offer a subscription for 100 and 150 flights. I am sorry about this but it is my only option. People have been posting terrible things online but they simply do not know the high cost to deliver the accurate and quality data we provide. We simply cannot continue to lose money.
The app never advertised unlimited flight tracking and it was necessary to institute this due to the high volume of flights being tracked. Some customers were using in well excess of 100 flights per month. Furthermore, countless customers took advantage of Apple’s Family Sharing which allows multiple family members on different devices to download our app for no cost yet track an unlimited number of flights.
We use the best flight status and schedule service available but their price structure dictates that we are charged for every request made to them. An unlimited number of flights is not something we could sustain. By making the above change the app will be able to continue and service all its customers at a modest profit.
The alternative would have been to shut down the app as our #1 competitor (Flight Track) did a few years ago. I am truly trying to make this work.
It would have been easy to simply remove the app from the App Store and walk away but I wanted to come up with a way to allow it to continue to live. The app was released late in 2008, shortly after Apple opened the App Store in July of 2008. The change made will put the app on a solid footing and allow me to enhance and improve the app.
Thank you.