Flight Status 24 - Live online flight tracking and flight schedules

Flight tracking relies on collecting data from aircraft regarding their flight status via ground receivers placed in various worldwide locations. Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast systems (ADS-B) receive the data sent by aeroplanes. Aeroplanes send data to these receivers which then finally uploads the information to a central server for processing. A second technique, MLAT (multilateration), works out the position of aircraft that only send an older transponder signal, by timing that signal at several receivers. Our own radar collects this data on our own platform and plots the positions on the map above. The positions come from a worldwide network of thousands of ADS-B receivers plus our own receiver.

Flight trackings main purpose is to allow flight enthusiasts, passengers and any interested person to easily obtain information about flights. Experiencing the frustration of waiting for a delayed passenger proves just how beneficial flight tracking can be. Flight tracking also has helped in the investigation efforts into major air disasters. An example is the doomed Air Malaysia flight that disappeared from all radar over the ocean. Since radar doesn’t cover the sky completely investigators looked to flight tracking websites for information. As the saying goes, information is power.

On our live map you can look up any aircraft in the world by flight number, registration or callsign, and click any aircraft for its photo, flight number, route with progress and estimated time to go, altitude, speed, heading, registration, aircraft type and squawk. For many flights over Europe the panel also shows the wind and outside temperature at cruising altitude, and a graph of altitude and speed builds up while you watch. Coverage is best over Europe and North America, where the receiver network is dense; far out over the sea the map continues the last known track as an estimated position, drawn translucent. Military aircraft that transmit their position do show up, marked as military; some government and private aircraft are filtered from public data for safety reasons. The tracker works in the browser on any phone, tablet or computer, no app needed. Use the search field in the site header for live arrivals and departures of thousands of airports and status pages of hundreds of airlines.

Flight status trackers make use of the IATA codes to track aircraft as they sail through the skies. The IATA code for Berlin Brandenburg Airport is BER; the former Tegel airport used TXL until it closed in 2020, and every airport keeps its own code so that two airports in one region cannot be confused. Type an airport code or name in the search field in the site header to open its page with live arrivals and departures. IATA codes are often used for other transport systems such as railways. The main railway station and airport of the same city are both assigned an IATA code to make the integration of transport systems easier. Without IATA codes the world of flying would certainly be a lot more complicated.

Flight numbers identify specific aircraft routes. It is important to note that a flight number doesn’t refer to a specific aircraft but the flight. Airlines use flight number 1 for their most important flight, an example is the BA flight no. 1 which refers to the early morning flight between Heathrow and JFK. We use flight numbers to search for the aircraft that we want to track on flight status websites. Baggage tagging and announcements also require flight numbers. Another important use for flight numbers is with air traffic control. Air travel would be much riskier if we didn’t have flight numbers because we would not be able to identify flights.Because flight numbers are so important all airlines have to follow the same standard when creating them. Airlines create flight numbers by using a two-letter airline identifier code followed by a three-digit numerical code. You can find your flight number printed on your ticket; enter it in the search on the live map above and, if the aircraft is airborne, the map flies to it, wherever it is in the world. Airlines usually keep flight numbers but it is possible to change a flight number. Some airlines changed flight numbers after the September 2011 attacks on the USA. Major incidents such as accidents have also led to the changing of flight numbers to avoid any association with the past events. Mergers have also created the need to create non-standard flight numbers in the past.Airlines regularly publish their timetables for customers to book flights with ease. The very first airline timetables were printed and distributed in the form of a booklet. The booklets listed flights and their departure and arrival times. Today we can access available flights and timetables via the internet. This has made it much easier to find and book a flight that meets your needs.