Whether it is just a curiosity to know, a part of some investigation, or a question to give peace to the mind, tracking a real-time flight is now possible with just a single click. Let’s see how it is done and which websites can be used to track a flight.
Why track a real-time flight?
There may be many reasons behind following a flight, be it personal or professional. Some journalists track planes without hesitation so that they can investigate in the political or commercial field.
And if there are any unusual air movements (such as storms, technical issues, or military conflicts), it is possible to understand what happened by extracting the tracking data of a specific flight. This essential data also sometimes helps in understanding the reasons behind accidents.
But apart from these extreme cases, most people track the flight of their loved ones in real time. Be it to know their status or just to give peace of mind. For example, I always give my flight number to my parents. This way they can follow my progress in the sky during every trip and can see when I took off or landed at the destination.
If I am going to some other country, they are reassured that I have reached safely, and even before that I can send them a message. And if they are going to pick me up from the airport, they can check before the official announcements that the flight was not delayed.
I also try to check the status of my flight before I get to the airport myself. Flight delays are so common that I prefer to be prepared in advance. If you face any significant delays, last-minute cancellations, or overbooking, you can also claim compensation using specialized sites like Flightright.
Whatever the case, real-time flight tracking can be very useful at times, and it’s great that we have access to this kind of data.
How to track a real-time flight?
With digitalization, now everyone has the opportunity to track detailed air traffic. Route, type of aircraft, takeoff, landing… data of civil flights around the world is available for free and unlimited time.
You just need an internet connection and a computer or smartphone, and you can get all the information. Nowadays, there are many specialized sites that provide flight tracking data. Most are completely free and designed on the same models, but with different features:
Flight search
With this you can track a specific flight live, whether it is located through flight number, aircraft registration number, or current route. This is the most common method to track the flight of a loved one.
Personalized search
Here you can register your future flight, so you can check its status anytime. Through the flight number, you can find out the plane model, its origin, and the related terminals. This is useful to organize departures and be alert for possible delays.
Flight map
Here you can visualize all the flights located at a specific location. You can watch the beautiful dance of planes above your head.
It has now become very easy to track a plane in real-time while sitting at home.
Which site to use for flight tracking?
There are many websites and mobile applications that provide the option of real-time flight tracking and all the necessary information about air traffic. Here is a list of the best services for now:
FlightAware
This is one of the simplest and fastest applications because it focuses specifically on flight search. The design of the associated application of the FlightAware site is efficient and user-friendly, so that you can reach the point directly.
FlightRadar24
This is one of the most popular aircraft trackers. Ideal for real-time flight tracking, this service includes both a website and a mobile application that lets you track all civil aircraft, including helicopters, whether they are in flight, on takeoff, or landing.
RadarBox24
This is also a dedicated application for flight tracking that provides lots of details. It provides data such as altitude, position, departure location, destination, flight number, aircraft type, and speed.
PlaneFinder
With the help of this application, you can easily identify planes in any specific region of the world. If a flight is passing above your head, you can get information about it too! Just hold your phone towards the sky when the plane passes… your phone will become a small radar station.
Google Earth
A new feature has been added to Google Earth recently, in which aircraft tracking can be done by installing a free extension named KML. This is a fun and easy way to know about everything happening in the sky above you.
Also keep in mind that many airlines provide the facility of live tracking of their planes. But the independent online services I just mentioned are very user-friendly and the best part is that they track all flights.
Have you ever felt the need to track a flight in real-time? Which apps do you use to check the status of your upcoming flights?