Before you start
Confirm the flight was added as a smart flight (by airline and flight number), not entered manually. Only smart flights pull times from the flight data provider.
Have the airline's updated flight details ready (new time, or new flight number if the flight was reissued).
Why this happens
Tern displays smart flight times exactly as reported by a third-party flight data provider. The airline and the provider are separate systems, so when an airline changes a schedule, there's a gap before the provider picks it up and Tern can show it. During that gap, Tern shows the last time the provider reported. The time is accurate to the provider's current data, just not the airline's newest change yet.
This gap is most common for flights several months out, regional carriers, and flights reissued under a new number.
Steps
Don't remove and re-add the flight.
Re-adding pulls from the same provider and returns the same time you already have. It will not refresh to the airline's new schedule.Let it update on its own if the flight isn't soon.
Once the provider picks up the airline's change, the smart flight updates automatically and Tern sends a schedule change notification. You don't need to do anything.If you need the correct time shown now, switch to manual entry.
Enter the flight manually with the correct departure and arrival times from the airline.
Note: Switching to manual entry stops live tracking for that flight. Tern will show the time you typed, but it will no longer send delay, cancellation, gate change, or schedule change updates. Use this only when you need the accurate time displayed immediately and can accept losing tracking.
If the flight was reissued under a new number
If the airline moved passengers to a new flight number, searching for that number may return "flight not found" until the provider adds it. If the old number still exists in the provider's data, it stays searchable. Add the new number once it becomes available, or enter the flight manually if you need it on the itinerary now.
You'll know it worked when
The itinerary shows the correct time and, for smart flights, you receive a schedule change notification confirming the provider updated. If you switched to manual entry, the itinerary shows your entered time (with no further tracking updates).
Common issues
The time still doesn't match close to departure.
If a flight's time still doesn't match the airline well inside the travel window (for example, within a week of departure) and the provider hasn't updated, contact Tern support so we can look into it.
I re-added the flight and nothing changed.
This is expected. Re-adding pulls the same provider data. Either wait for the provider to update, or switch to manual entry.
Related
Flight Status Updates
Flight Tracker Notifications
Flight schedule change notification process