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Not everyone has a phone. Not everyone has that app (whatever it is... the airport, the airline, the travel agency), using an app is always harder than looking at the real-time displays especially if your hands are full of luggage.

And on top of that, not everyone's phone will be charged, and not everyone will have cell service (if traveling internationally).

The mobile apps are great when they work, but still need to be considered a convenience rather than a primary information source.

>Not everyone has a phone.

Corollary:

A few do have a phone, but it is not a smartphone.

The airport's whiteboard backup plan is interesting but my first thought was also that all of this info is available online or through the airline apps.

In my experience, changes often show up in Kayak ahead of the airport dashboards. I check apps or notifications before the official dashboards now.

According to the Times article flight information was not available online either.