Flight tracking

Flight tracking is a service that involves the tracking of flights, aircraft and airport activity, often using software.

Flight tracking is a service that involves the tracking of flights, aircraft and airport activity, often using software.

Overview

[edit]

Flight tracking enables travelers as well as those picking up travelers after a flight to know whether a flight has landed or is on schedule, for example to determine whether it is time to go to the airport.^[1]

Aircraft carry ADS-B transponders, which transmit information such as the aircraft ID, GPS position, and altitude as radio signals. These radio transmission are collected by civilian ADS-B receivers located in the vicinity of the aircraft. These ADS-B receivers are only able to collect information on flights within radio-range of their position, so the data they collect is usually sent to a central server which aggregates feeds from numerous individual receivers throughout the world.

Flight tracking can be integrated with travel management and travel tracking services, allowing increased automation of travel software. This application of flight tracking is currently in its infancy, but is set to grow significantly as systems get more connected.

Despite the progress, many abrupt events like sudden weather changes are not captured by existing flight trackers because they take their information not from the airplane itself but from dispatcher centers which often do not know the actual status of plane's whereabouts.^[2]

Flight tracking software is available for commercial operators to track their aircraft and monitor if they deviate from an agreed flight path. If they do, a warning alarm is generated to alert to a potential problem. The type of software available also imports and reviews global weather and NOTAM information to monitor any emerging issues that could affect the flight.

List of flight tracking services

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

^ "How do Flight Trackers work?". Infinite Flight Community. 2023-06-27. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
^ Bailey, Jeff, [1], The New York Times, November 15, 2007.

v t e Commercial aviation
Airlines	Airline codes Airline holding companies Cargo airline Charter airlines Flag carriers Low-cost airlines Non-scheduled airline Passenger airlines Regional airlines
Alliances	Oneworld SkyTeam Star Alliance Value Alliance Vanilla Alliance U-FLY Alliance
Trade groups	International ACO ATAG IATA IATAN IFALPA ISTAT United States A4A RAA Europe A4E ASD ECA EBAA ERA ETWF Other regions AACO AAPA AFRAA RAAA
Aircrew	Pilot in command (Captain) First officer Second officer Third officer Relief crew Flight attendant Flight engineer Loadmaster Aircraft pilot Purser Dead mileage
Airliner	Travel class First class Business class Premium economy class Economy class Basic economy class Aircraft cabin Aircraft lavatory Aircraft seat map Airline meal Airline seat Buy on board Crew rest compartment In-flight entertainment Inflight smoking Galley Sickness bag
Airport	Aerodrome Airline hub Airport check-in Airport lounge Airport rail link Airport terminal Airside pass Airstair Boarding Domestic airport Gate International airport Jet bridge Low-cost carrier terminal Runway Transit hotel
Customs / Immigration	Arrival card Border control (internal) Departure card Passport Timatic Travel document Travel visa (Electronic)
Environmental effects	Hypermobility Environmental effects of aviation
Law	Air transport agreement Air route authority between the United States and China Bermuda Agreement (UK–US, 1946–1978) Bermuda II Agreement (UK–US, 1978–2008) Cross-strait charter Beijing Convention Cape Town Treaty Chicago Convention Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives European Common Aviation Area Flight permit Freedoms of the air EU–US Open Skies Agreement Hague Hijacking Convention Hague Protocol Montreal Convention Paris Convention of 1919 Rome Convention Sabotage Convention Tokyo Convention Warsaw Convention
Intergovernmental organizations	ICAO ECAC Eurocontrol EASA ENCASIA
Baggage	Bag tag Baggage allowance Baggage carousel Baggage cart Baggage reclaim Baggage handler Baggage handling system Baggage sizer Checked baggage Hand luggage Lost luggage (WorldTracer) Luggage lock
Aviation safety	Air rage Air traffic control Air traffic service Aircraft safety card Airport authority Airport crash tender Airport police Airport security Airspace class Area control center Brace position Civil aviation authority Control area Control zone Controlled airspace Evacuation slide Flight information region Flight information service Flight recorder Instrument flight rules Overwing exits Pre-flight safety demonstration Sky marshal Special use airspace US Special visual flight rules Terminal control area Terminal control center Uncontrolled airspace Upper information region Visual flight rules
Airline tickets	Airline booking ploys Airline reservations system Airline ticket Airline timetable Bereavement flight Boarding pass Codeshare agreement Continent pass Electronic ticket Fare basis code Flight cancellation and delay Frequent-flyer program Government contract flight One-way travel Open-jaw ticket Overbooking (Overselling) Passenger name record Red-eye flight Round-the-world ticket Standby Tracking Travel agency
Ground crew	Aircraft maintenance technician Aircraft ground handling Baggage handler Flight dispatcher
Miscellaneous	Air cargo Air travel Airplane film Aviation taxation and subsidies Mile high club Steffen Boarding Method

This aviation-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

Flight tracking

Overview

List of flight tracking services

See also

Notes