Real-time flight status by flight number (e.g. AA100, DL2034, UA1). Gate, terminal, and minute-by-minute updates.
American Airlines · Daily evening service
Delta Air Lines · Red-eye transcon
United Airlines · World’s longest scheduled US flight
Airport display boards can run up to 10 minutes behind what’s actually happening on the taxiway. A good flight tracker pulls from the same ADS-B transponder feeds the FAA uses — so you know about a delay or gate change before the board does.
If you’re meeting someone off a long-haul, track from about 90 minutes before landing. That’s when you’ll see the accurate “at gate” time, which is usually 15–25 minutes later than the scheduled arrival because of taxi and ramp time. If you’re connecting, check your inbound flight the day before — a delayed inbound is the single most common reason for missed connections, and at busy hubs like ATL, ORD or DFW knowing 12 hours early gives you time to rebook.
We pull from commercial aviation feeds (AviationStack, FlightAware) which aggregate ADS-B signals, airline schedule files, FAA SWIM data, and airport operational data. Updates arrive every 15–60 seconds.
Most airports only publish the gate 45–90 minutes before departure. Long-haul gates are often published later than domestic. If you see “TBA” on the tracker, the airline hasn’t shared the gate yet.
Only if the aircraft has ADS-B turned on and the operator hasn’t enrolled in the FAA’s Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed (LADD) or Privacy ICAO Address program. Scheduled commercial flights are always trackable.
“On time” = within 15 minutes of schedule (the FAA’s own threshold for the on-time-performance stat). “Delayed” = more than 15 minutes behind. “Departed” = wheels up. “Landed” = wheels down. “At gate” = at the jetbridge with doors open. “Cancelled” = removed from the day’s schedule.
The underlying data is the same. Airlines also have their own internal operational data (crew, catering, fuel) that we don’t get — but for passenger-facing status, gate and timing, we show the same numbers.