Former airline worker reveals her 'number one flight hack' for ensuring stress-free travel for you AND your loved ones

Want to land a more seamless flight experience on your next vacation?

Well, one former airline worker has shared her number one flight hack, in a bid to reduce passenger stress levels. 

Darby Malone, who worked in the aviation industry for three years as a luggage handler, shows in a now-viral TikTok how if you have your flight code, you can simply text it to yourself - or share it with others - for live updates. 

In the clip - which has been watched more than 14.5 million times - she shows how you must include the airline code along with the flight number. So, for example, if you were flying American Airlines Flight 686, you would type 'AA686.'

Darby Malone, who worked in the aviation industry for three years as a luggage handler, shows in a now-viral TikTok how if you have your flight code, you can simply text it to yourself - or share it with others - for live updates

In the clip - which has been watched more than 14.5 million times - she shows how you must include the airline code along with the flight number

Darby explains that once you have typed the code and sent it to yourself, 'it will become a link to tell you everything you need to know about your flight, and it will update in real time.'

Not only will the link show if the flight is running on time, it will also show the gate number at the next airport along with the baggage claim number. 

Not only is this information useful for your own peace of mind, she says, but the same code can be sent to family, friends or taxi drivers so that they can plan for any delays or early arrivals. 

'Whoever's picking you up can literally see your little airplane flying across the screen,' Darby explains to viewers. 

She continues: 'You know, when you take off, you're supposed to land at 8:30am. 

'And then mid flight, it's like there's a great tail wind or something, and you end up landing at 8:06am.

'It'll update in that link, and whoever's picking you up can see exactly when that flight status changes.'

Thanks to her nifty hack, Darby says she never has to look at screens in the airport anymore, and she just keeps an eye on her phone. 

Darby explains that once you have typed the code and sent it to yourself, 'it will become a link to tell you everything you need to know about your flight, and it will update in real time'

If you have a connecting flight, she adds, you can text yourself both flight numbers and 'the second you land, you can just click your link and know exactly what your [next] gate is.'

Many of Darby's followers have thanked her for sharing her hack. 

One commenter wrote: 'I have NEVER known this! This makes my Type A airport self so happy.'

Another bemused viewer revealed: 'I've been a flight attendant for 13 years and I did not know this.' 

Other viewers were baffled by the fact that it is possible to text yourself.  

One amazed viewer commented: 'I'm old. I didn't know I could text myself. LMAO.' 

While another quipped: 'Why am I barely processing the fact you can text yourself?' 

Along with texting flight codes, Darby says her other favorite travel hack is investing in TSA PreCheck, which allows for expeditated screening at participating security checkpoints.