FlightAware
- How live is FlightAware's tracking and status data?
- How often does the data update or refresh?
- How much does a subscription to FlightAware cost?
- Where is this data from?
Tracking Data
- Can FlightAware display additional flight information provided on an IFR flight plan such as pilot's name, address, phone number, number of people on board, and color of aircraft?
- Can FlightAware tell me the tail number of a flight operating under a company name / flight number?
- Can FlightAware track VFR flights? What about a VFR flight with a flight plan?
- How does FlightAware handle international flights?
- How does FlightAware handle pop-up IFR flights?
- How far back does FlightAware's airport history go when browsing through recent arrivals and departures?
- What happens if an aircraft cancels an IFR flight plan en-route or prior to arrival?
- What does "result unknown" mean?
- I see a consistent discrepancy or anomaly in tracking data. What should I do?
- Why does FlightAware show an overly specific or incorrect aircraft description for a particular aircraft type?
- Why do the departure and arrival times on a scheduled airline differ from the information on the airline's web site?
- Why do I care about wheels up / wheels down time for airline flights? Shouldn't I just track an airline flight on their web site?
- Does FlightAware offer statistics on the delayed flight statistics for airlines, operators, or specific aircraft?
- Can I track NASA's Space Shuttle or other space ships (UFOs, etc) on FlightAware during launch or descent?
- Can I track military aircraft? What about presidential movements in Air Force One?
- How does FlightAware handle "code share" flights?
- When FlightAware says a flight is at 33,000ft, for example, is that the real altitude or the flight level?
- Are displayed flight altitudes AGL (above ground level) or MSL (mean sea level)?
- My company operates aircraft with a 3 character prefix and a flight number, yet all the flights are missing from FlightAware. What can I do?
- My airplane's tail number starts with something other than N (e.g., XA-, VP-, etc.) and isn't showing up. How can I add it?
Privacy
- Are blocked tail numbers publicly visible on FlightAware?
- Can I send proof of ownership to FlightAware for access to track a blocked tail number?
- Can I block my aircraft on FlightAware?
- Isn't the accessibility of this information violating the privacy of people traveling on private aircraft?
- Isn't this information a big security risk? Is FlightAware helping terrorists?
Understanding FlightAware
- What does it mean when a time is in italics?
- I believe I witnessed a traffic conflict, altitude deviation, or some other anomaly. Should I report it?
- Can I use FlightAware for a crazy purpose such as operational functions or in flight for navigation or traffic advisories?
- Why does FlightAware show two airlines flights operating simultaneously with the same flight number? Is that possible?
- What is the suffix that's appended to an aircraft type, such as C172/G or B738/Q?
- Why does Flightaware say "Arriving Shortly" on a flight being shown to arrive a few minutes ago? Everything else is accurate.
- How does FlightAware handle time zones?
- What do "(+1)" and "(-1)" mean next to a flight's arrival time?
- Why does the number of flights on the "all flights" map disagree with the total flight count on the main live tracking page?
- When do flights show up as "Scheduled" in the activity log?
- Why does FlightAware show the last flight rather than a pending "Scheduled" flight as the most recent one?
- FlightAware sometimes suggests that I use a metro area or terminal area for my searches rather than an airport code. What other cities or terminal areas can I use for areas with multiple airports?
- What does "Delayed" mean on an airport page and why is a delayed flight being displayed above an airborne flight?
- What do acronyms like ILS, RVSM, TDZE, and FL mean? Does FlightAware have a list of aviation terminology used on the web site?
Understanding FlightAware > Maps
- What, exactly, is represented by the flight route line on a FlightAware map?
- Why do airplanes only sometimes have the "data block" next to them with flight information?
- Why does FlightAware not show a position for a flight that recently departed?
- I see a aircraft identification on an area/airport map that I can't track manually or the data says the plane is not airborne. Why is that?
- What do the number mean below a flight? For example, what does, "340 446" mean?
- I'd like the maps to be able to . . .
Miscellaneous
- I have an unusual analysis, reporting, or corporate project and would like FlightAware's technical expertise and data. Is this possible?
- I have a cool idea for a feature. Where can I suggest it?
- My question isn't on here. Where can I ask it?
How live is FlightAware's tracking and status data? (Back To Top)
The data displayed on FlightAware is typically six minutes delayed from real time.
How often does the data update or fresh? (Back To Top)
For operational efficiency, the data is being read unceasingly and being processed in spurts. Generally, FlightAware does not receive position updates more often than once per minute. For
registered members that are logged in, pages will automatically refresh as appropriate.
How much does a subscription to FlightAware cost? (Back To Top)
Where is this data from? (Back To Top)
FlightAware compiles, aggregates, and processes data from a variety of sources including FlightAware's proprietary algorithms
providing updated arrival time estimates to offer the most up-to-date and reliable flight tracking data on the Internet
with useful and intuitive supporting information.
Can FlightAware display additional flight information provided on an IFR flight plan such as pilot's name, address, phone number, number of people on board, and color of aircraft? (Back To Top)
No.
Can FlightAware tell me the tail number of a flight operating under a company name / flight number? (Back To Top)
Not yet.
Can FlightAware track VFR flights? What about a VFR flight with a flight plan? (Back To Top)
Some VFR aircraft with flight following are available on the position maps but it largely unreliable and
no arrival/departure/flight plan data is available. VFR flight plans are irrelevant and only used by FSS for search and rescue. We suggest
ensuring that aircraft are on an IFR flight plan from wheels up to wheels down for proper tracking.
How does FlightAware handle international flights? (Back To Top)
Short answer: Not very well.
Long answer: FlightAware can only track aircraft that are being tracked by the FAA, which means aircraft only in the United States. For flights arriving in the US from
an international origin, FlightAware will be able to track the flight once it is handed off to the US. For flights departing the US for an international destination,
FlightAware will be able to track the flight until it leaves the US and then it will be lost with no arrival ever recorded or the arrival time will be the time it left the US.
How does FlightAware handle pop-up IFR flights? (Back To Top)
The origin of a pop-up flight will likely be a radial off a VOR or an intersection at the discretion of the controller that opens the flight plan. This will look similar to a flight
with a clearance fix (destination) of a VOR radial, Latitude/Longitude, or intersection instead of an airport.
How far back does FlightAware's airport history go when browsing through recent arrivals and departures? (Back To Top)
Although FlightAware keeps the data forever, currently only the most recent 48-72 hours of activity are available for viewing.
What happens if an aircraft cancels an IFR flight plan en-route or prior to arrival? (Back To Top)
The cancellation time will be marked as the arrival time for that flight. There is a chance that an aircraft could proceed VFR to another airport
and confuse FlightAware, but the most likely scenario is that a pilot cancels IFR just moments prior to arrival, so assuming that the aircraft has
arrived is the safest bet.
What does "result unknown" mean? (Back To Top)
It means that the estimated arrival time of the flight has passed without FlightAware marking the flight as "arrived." There are the most likely reasons why this happened:
- The aircraft left the coverage area of the FAA and FlightAware is no longer receiving updates
- The FAA did not send an arrival message for a flight, which is rare.
- FlightAware did not receive or lost the arrival message, although this is even more rare.
See the
next question for more.
I see a consistent discrepancy or anomaly in tracking data. What should I do? (Back To Top)
Please bring it up in the
public discussions. While we're unable to guarantee a resolution
for every discrepancy, FlightAware can research some situations to determine the source of the problem and possibly take action if it leads to a wide scale fix.
Why does FlightAware show an overly specific or incorrect aircraft description for a particular aircraft type? (Back To Top)
A single aircraft type can have multiple names in the ICAO aircraft database. FlightAware picks the first one listed unless it has been pointed out to be inaccurate. As a result, it might display B738 as a "Boeing BBJ2" rather than "Boeing 737-800."
Please bring the error up in the
public discussions to be corrected.
Why do the departure and arrival times on a scheduled airline differ from the information on the airline's web site? (Back To Top)
Airlines generally display the times that the aircraft departs and arrives from a gate. FlightAware presents the time that the
aircraft departed and arrived, also known as the "wheels up" and "wheels down" times. At large airports or in various circumstances,
there can be a significant difference in these times due to delays on the ground.
Why do I care about wheels up / wheels down time for airline flights? Shouldn't I just track an airline flight on their web site? (Back To Top)
Maybe so; that's a good point. FlightAware's data may or may not be the most relevant for airline customers depending on
the situation. One interesting aspect of FlightAware's tracking data for airlines is that
although it doesn't offer gate arrival or departure times, if an airline is claiming (for example) that flight #482 will arrive at gate E6 at IAH
at 4:18pm but FlightAware says the flight isn't going to touch down at IAH until 4:32pm, you might expect a delayed arrival at the gate or, less
likely, a revised ETA from FlightAware.
Does FlightAware offer statistics on the delayed flight statistics for airlines, operators, or specific aircraft?
No, this information is not provided because FlightAware tracks only the "wheels up" to "wheels
down" times, not the published times. Airline schedules consider delays such as taxi times as
well as connection, mechanical, and weather delays prior to, during, and after a flight and must
pad the schedule accordingly. Accordingly, a flight from Los Angeles to Houston may be published
as 3 hours and 45 minutes for but the flight plan may reflect only 2 hours and 55 minutes. The
flight could potentially depart late or have an en route delay for 20 minutes and barring any
ground delays still have an on-time arrival.
However, the DOT offers
airline on-time performance statistics for US Part 121 Air Carriers.
Can I track NASA's Space Shuttle or other space ships (UFOs, etc) on FlightAware during launch or descent? (Back To Top)
No, but that would be rather amusing; the shuttle or UFOs would have to be on an IFR flight plan to be tracked. However, NASA streams live
NASA TV on the Internet.
Can I track military aircraft? What about presidential movements in Air Force One? (Back To Top)
FlightAware does not track military aircraft and presidential movement flights (e.g., Air Force One, Marine One, etc.) are operated by the US military.
How does FlightAware handle "code share" flights? (Back To Top)
FlightAware does not generally currently support mainline code share, such as a Continental flight being operated by Delta. However, FlightAware supports
"express" code shares where passengers are less likely to be aware of the situation such as Continental 1251 being operated by "Continental Express",
which is actually ExpressJet Airlines. FlightAware will either make the correction (e.g., COA1251->BTA1251) automatically or offer a list of possible matches if
there is any ambiguity. When presented with a list of suggestions, you can select the correct flight by looking for the origin and destination that you are expecting.
When FlightAware says a flight is at 33,000ft, for example, is that the real altitude or the flight level? (Back To Top)
FlightAware displays flight levels as if they were true altitudes because the difference is negligible for our purposes. For further explanation
on this topic, see
Wikipedia's explanation of a Flight Level.
Are displayed flight altitudes AGL (above ground level) or MSL (mean sea level)? (Back To Top)
Altitudes displayed are the airplane's altitude above sea level (MSL) and disregard the elevation below. This is how altimeters
in aircraft operate and any attempt to reflect surface elevation or terrain would result in constant adjustments and inaccuracies
For a related issue,
see the above question about flight levels.
My company operates aircraft with a 3 character prefix and a flight number, yet all the flights are missing from FlightAware. What can I do? (Back To Top)
Please
e-mail us the three letter ID, your radio call sign, the name of your company/airline, your address, as well as contact name with their phone number and e-mail address. Once we have received this information, we will send a request to the FAA and generally be able to begin tracking your aircraft within two weeks.
My airplane's tail number starts with something other than N (e.g., XA-, VP-, etc.) and isn't showing up. How can I add it? (Back To Top)
Please
e-mail us the aircraft tail number/identification, the name of your company, your address, as well as contact name with their phone number and e-mail address. Once we have received this information, we will send a request to the FAA and generally be able to begin tracking your aircraft within two weeks.
Are blocked tail numbers publicly visible on FlightAware? (Back To Top)
No.
Can I send proof of ownership to FlightAware for access to track a blocked tail number? (Back To Top)
Yes, FlightAware offers that service; see
this page for more information.
Can I block my aircraft on FlightAware? (Back To Top)
Yes, there are two ways to accomplish this:
- FlightAware Selective (Un)blocking
Enroll in FlightAware's selective unblocking service for a tail number that is not already blocked.
FlightAware can process your request with next-day service and will block your operations from the general public. Your FlightAware account(s) will
continue to be able to securely view and track your aircraft. FlightAware will complete the paperwork necessary for blocking your aircraft
on other flight tracking services and will provide you with everything you need to accomplish the block.
- Blocking request through NBAA BARR
The NBAA (National Business Aviation Association) operates and maintains the BARR (Blocked Aircraft Registration Request) in conjunction
with the FAA. This service is free although it may take 30-45 days to take effect and will not allow your user account to
track your aircraft on FlightAware unless you subscribe to FlightAware's selective unblocking service.
For us to submit your rqeuest, simply fax a letter on company letterhead to +1 713-877-9020 requesting that your aircraft be blocked
by ASDI Vendors on the NBAA BARR list and include a copy of your aircraft registration.
Isn't the accessibility of this information violating the privacy of people traveling on private aircraft? (Back To Top)
No. Three reasons:
- The aircraft being displayed on FlightAware are operating in public airspace. They are arriving and departing from
airports with their identification number painted on the aircraft. They are broadcasting their whereabouts and intentions
on public radio frequencies. They are all using services provided by the United States federal government
Accordingly, this information is completely public in many forms.
- Aircraft owners have the option of blocking their identification from being released to the public.
- Countless companies offer services and information identical to FlightAware for a subscription fee.
Without Internet flight tracking, an individual could simply listen to the appropriate frequencies to hear their
tail number of interest's next destination in the form of, "citation niner alpha mike, santa monica ground, you're
cleared to las vegas executive as filed . . ." In the case of an individual trying to determine the tail number of
an individual that is known to be departing a certain airport for a particular destination, they already know where
the individual is going so there is hardly any knowledge gained in that circumstance. Even easier, aircraft owner
information is available on the FAA's web site for search or download. If an individual doesn't have
an aviation radio receiver, ATC (air traffic control) frequencies are broadcasted on countless web sites for enthusiasts and
many web sites even archive ATC conversations for web users to download at a later date.
Isn't this information a big security risk? Is FlightAware helping terrorists? (Back To Top)
No, this information is public knowledge and not a security risk. The assertion that knowing aircraft whereabouts, routing, or airport activity promotes terrorism or is a security risk is specious reasoning and baseless paranoia akin to suggesting that train or subway routes/schedules should not be published or perhaps that airport locations should be kept a secret.
| Understanding FlightAware |
|---|
What does it mean when a time is in italics? (Back To Top)
A time in italics generally means that the time or action is proposed, scheduled, or estimated, if it isn't indicated otherwise. For example, an en route flight will show the arrival time
in italics.
I believe I witnessed a traffic conflict, altitude deviation, or some other anomaly. Should I report it? (Back To Top)
Please don't. Rather, read the
terms of use and understand that this data is for casual observation only
and not for any operational purpose. FlightAware technology was not designed with the intent to observe safety or regulation
anomalies, so please do not try to use it for that purpose.
Can I use FlightAware for a crazy purpose such as operational functions or in flight for navigation or traffic advisories? (Back To Top)
Absolutely not. Not only is that crazy, as you said, but it violates FlightAware's
terms of use.
Why does FlightAware show two airlines flights operating simultaneously with the same flight number? Is that possible? (Back To Top)
Unfortunately, this is not a bug. It seems that some airlines occasionally have duplicate flight numbers in the air at the same time with different origins and destinations. When tracking a flight that is in the air twice, the arrival/departure history will be accurate but the position, speed, and altitude will be unreliable.
What is the suffix that's appended to an aircraft type, such as C172/G or B738/Q? (Back To Top)
The suffix indicates the on-board equipment. For an explanation of each suffix, you can either hover over the code for a tool tip explanation, or view them all on FlightAware's
Aircraft Equipment Suffixes list.
Why does Flightaware say "Arriving Shortly" on a flight being shown to arrive a few minutes ago? Everything else is accurate. (Back To Top)
Because the information that FlightAware displays is
delayed, FlightAware says "Arriving Shortly" a few minutes prior to scheduled arrival to compensate. Otherwise, every flight would be 5-6 minutes overdue.
How does Flightaware handle time zones? (Back To Top)
By default, FlightAware displays times in the airport's local time zone for US and Canadian
airports. For example, if a flight is flying from Houston to Los Angeles with a 4 o'clock
departure and arriving in LA 3 hours later, it will show a 4:00 CT departure and 5:00 PT arrival.
Registered users can select various time zone and time display preferences including the ability
to show all times in your local time zone. For airports outside of the United States, UTC is
selected as the local time zone in most cases.
What do "(+1)" and "(-1)" mean next to a flight's arrival time? (Back To Top)
It means that the flight arrived on either the day after or the day before departure, respectively. The date listed for a flight is the departure date and the "+1" literally means plus one day and "-1" means minus one day.
Why does the number of flights on the "all flights" map disagree with the total flight count on the main live tracking page? (Back To Top)
The map displays all flights that FlightAware has recently obtained a position report for. The "total flight count" statistic is the total number of IFR aircraft that have departed but not arrived and with an ETA that's in the future. The total count statistic could contain aircraft not in radar contact, the all flights map could contain VFR flights, and many other situations exist create the discrepancy.
When do flights show up as "Scheduled" in the activity log? (Back To Top)
We display a flight as "scheduled" as soon as receiving the flight plan from the FAA. This is generally 30 minutes to 6 hours before a flight, although it can be at the same time as departure or as much as 24 hours in advance. Flight plans that are never activated (no departure) or flight plans that are canceled/retracted prior to departure are not displayed.
Why does FlightAware show the last flight rather than a pending "Scheduled" flight as the most recent one? (Back To Top)
FlightAware always shows the most recent, departed flight in the tracking box with past or future flights in the Activity Log. Virtually all the known
information about a future flight can be displayed in the activity log and there is not enough data to populate the tracking box. Additionally, if the most
recent (including future) flight was shown in a tracking box, if a flight
was en route from X to Y with a scheduled flight from Y to Z, the flight would never show as "Arrived" since it would immediately show the next flight,
which would be undesirable.
FlightAware sometimes suggests that I use a metro area or terminal area for my searches rather than an airport code. What other cities or terminal areas can I use for areas with multiple airports? (Back To Top)
What does "Delayed" mean on an airport page and why is a delayed flight being displayed above an airborne flight? (Back To Top)
To facilitate airport and airport service operators, FlightAware lists scheduled departures on the "En
Route/Scheduled" table when space allows. If there are insufficient en route flights to fill the table, the rest of
the table is populated with relevant scheduled flights, sorted by estimated arrival time. In the event that a
scheduled (not current en route) arrival is delayed, but could still conceivably arrive before an en route flight (or if no
subsequent en route flight exists), FlightAware will display the entry for that flight with the word, "Delayed"
instead of an estimated departure and arrival time.
For example, if KVNY (Van Nuys, CA) has two upcoming arrivals and one is from KTEB (Teterboro, NJ), which is en route
but two hours from arrival, yet one is from Santa Monica, CA and is delayed (not airborne yet), the Santa Monica
flight will be listed above the Teterboro flight, but with the Delayed notation.
What do acronyms like ILS, RVSM, TDZE, and FL mean? Does FlightAware have a list of aviation terminology used on the web site? (Back To Top)
| Understanding FlightAware > Maps |
|---|
What, exactly, is represented by the flight route line on a FlightAware map?
The line displayed on a FlightAware map is a connected series of points between every position report received for that aircraft. Generally, radar reports
are received every 30-90 seconds and non-radar position reports every 5-30 minutes.
Why do airplanes only sometimes have the "data block" next to them with flight information? (Back To Top)
Due to limited screen and resolution real estate, FlightAware Maps has to selectively "de-clutter" the maps so that data blocks aren't overlapping each other. If you're tracking a single flight and it's near the origin or destination airport, it might not have a data block to ensure that the airport code itself isn't blocked. On the ATC-style displays with many flights, often times there are so many flights in limited space that it's not possible to display data blocks for all of them. In future iterations of the software, a more powerful zoom feature will alleviate this problem.
Why does FlightAware not show a position for a flight that recently departed? (Back To Top)
When a flight first lifts off, it takes FlightAware a minute or two to acquire the position and orientation. Simply wait a couple minutes and the map should start displaying the position.
I see a aircraft identification on an area/airport map that I can't track manually or the data says the plane is not airborne. Why is that? (Back To Top)
The area and airport maps often display VFR aircraft that we receiving position updates for, but do not receiving flight plan or departure/arrival information. A good indication of this occurring is if the data block for that flight on the map does not show an aircraft type.
What do the numbers mean below a flight? For example, what does, "340 446" mean? (Back To Top)
The two numbers below a flight are the altitude (in hundreds of feet
1) and the ground speed (in knots), respectively. An up or down arrow next to the altitude indicates that
the flight is climbing or descending, respectively. For example, "333^ 446" means the flight is climbing through approximately 33,330ft at 446kts. The data is displayed
in this format because it similar to ATC (air traffic control) displays and familiar to many people.
I'd like the maps to be able to . . . (Back To Top)
We're always interesting in new ideas. However, the mapping technology is currently under heavy development, so you should first check
this announcement post to see what's already on the future feature list.
I have an unusual analysis, reporting, or corporate project and would like FlightAware's technical expertise and data. Is this possible? (Back To Top)
I have a cool idea for a feature. Where can I suggest it? (Back To Top)
My question isn't on here. Where can I ask it? (Back To Top)
