Would you like to find out where a flight is currently flying, when it will arrive, or whether it’s delayed? You can track a flight’s current location for free on Flightradar24. Simply enter the flight number and select the correct flight.

I mainly use Flightradar24 myself, so I’ll use it as an example to show you the basic procedure.

Other options include FlightAware, FlightStats or AirNav Radar.

💬 Which app or website do you use, and why? Let us know in the comments below the article.

Where to find your flight quickly

It depends on what you need to find out:

• Where a specific aeroplane is: enter the flight number into Flightradar24
• When family or friends are due to arrive: check the flight status on the official website of the destination airport, but you can also useFlightradar24
• If you don’t know the flight number: search for the flight using the departure and arrival airports on FlightAware
• What’s flying overhead: open the map on Flightradar24 and zoom in on your location, or useAirNav Radar
• A delay has affected your journey: find out when you can claim compensation for a delayed flight

Looking for a past flight? Below you’ll also find instructions on how to check your flight history and the actual landing time.

How to track a flight by flight number

You’ll find the flight number on your booking confirmation, e-ticket or boarding pass. It takes the form, for example, of DL79: the airline code and the specific flight number.

Please note that the booking reference is not the flight number. The combination of letters and numbers that you use to manage your booking will not help you when tracking your flight publicly.

On the other hand, you use the booking reference when checking your flight booking.

On Flightradar24, follow these steps:

1. Open flightradar24.com or its mobile app.
2. Enter the flight number in the search bar, ideally without any spaces.
3. Select the correct route and date. The same flight number may be used for multiple flights each day.
4. If the flight is being tracked live, open its map view.

In the details, you can find, for example, the route, aircraft type, altitude or speed. The availability of individual data depends on the specific flight and the version of the service.

If the flight has not yet taken off, the aircraft may not be visible on the map. Check the scheduled departure time and the current status of the flight.

If the flight is already in the air, the word ‘Live’ and an aeroplane icon will appear next to the flight details. Click on this to view the aeroplane’s current position.

How to find a flight without a flight number

Do you only know the route and an approximate time? Use the route search on FlightAware or FlightStats.

Enter the departure and arrival airports and select the correct flight from the list.

On FlightStats, you can also refine your search by date and time.

The airport’s departure or arrival display boards can also help. You’ll find the flight number for your flight there, which you can then enter into the flight tracker.

If there are several flights a day on that route, check the departure time and the airline. A match in destinations alone is not enough.

How to check flight arrivals and delays

If you’re picking up a passenger, check the airport’s official website as well. You’ll be able to see the aircraft’s location on the radar, whilst the arrivals board will show the flight status and any available information about the terminal.

Personally, however, I’ve found it more useful to check Flightradar24, which, paradoxically, tends to provide more accurate and up-to-date information than the airport’s own website.

Note the difference between the various times:

• Scheduled arrival: the time stated in the flight timetable.
• Estimated arrival: the current estimate, which may change during the flight.
• Actual arrival or landing: the time already recorded. Check which of these the service in question refers to.

Flightradar24 always indicates the actual arrival or landing time.

Landing does not necessarily mean that passengers are already in the arrivals hall. This is followed by taxiing, disembarking from the aircraft and, where applicable, passport control or waiting for luggage.

You can find information on transport, terminals and other services in our airport guides.

Are you tracking the delay to your own flight? Read on to find out how to claim compensation for a delayed flight. If the conditions are met, you may be entitled to up to 600 eur per person.

Find out if I’m entitled to compensation

Are you facing a late arrival or an early departure? Consider staying overnight near the airport so you don’t have to worry about transport in the middle of the night ->Find accommodation on Booking.com.

Enter the name of your airport in the search bar and check the distance from the terminal to the hotel before booking.

If you need accommodation due to a delayed or cancelled flight, check with the airline first to see if they can arrange it for you.

Track the planes flying overhead

If you’re curious about a plane you can see in the sky right now, you don’t need the flight number.

1. Open the map on Flightradar24
2. Zoom in on the area where you are
3. Select the relevant aeroplane based on its direction of travel
4. Check its route and other available details in the details view

On your mobile, the Flightradar24 app for Android or iPhone is ideal for this. If you allow access to your location, it will be easier to identify the aircraft in your vicinity.

Not every aircraft will appear on the map. If you cannot find it, there may be a gap in coverage or its transponder may not be switched on (this applies, for example, to some small sports, government or military aircraft).

What does the inside of an aeroplane look like?

The radar will tell you the type of aircraft and the airline. If you’re also interested in a view from the cabin, take a look at our review of Emirates’ business class on the Airbus A380, for example.

You can find more on-board experiences and photos in our flight reviews.

How to look up your flight history

Would you like to find out which route you flew or what time your plane actually landed? Search for the flight number on Flightradar24 and open the record for the date your flight departed.

For any available record, you can view the route and flight times. To play back the aircraft’s movements, look for the ‘Play’ option.

The scope of the history depends on your subscription:

• Free: 7 days
• Silver: 90 days
• Gold: 365 days
• Business: 3 years

You can find the current offers and prices in the Flightradar24 subscription overview. Before paying, please check whether a recording of your specific flight is available.

Please note the time zone. Check whether the service displays the airport’s local time or UTC. For night-time flights, the arrival time may fall on a different day to the departure.

Flight history for compensation purposes

The record you find will help when verifying the delay. Make a note of the flight number, date, route and take a screenshot of the available details.

However, the landing time is not the same as the arrival time for the purposes of assessing compensation. Under EU rules, the decisive factor is when at least one of the aircraft’s doors is opened, provided that passengers are permitted to disembark.

The landing time alone may therefore not be decisive in cases where the delay is close to the 3-hour threshold.

Entitlement also depends on the route, the carrier and the cause of the delay. You can find detailed guidance in the article ‘Compensation for delayed flights’.

If you wish to entrust the claim to an agency, you can check your compensation options via ClaimCloud.

Other flight tracking options

I use Flightradar24 as my main service. If you don’t like its display or want to compare data, try one of these options.

Service	What it’s used for
Flightradar24	Tracking aircraft on a map and viewing flight history
FlightAware	Search for a specific flight or a connection between two airports
FlightStats	Check flight status by airline, flight number and date
AirNav Radar	Another map showing current air traffic and information about aircraft

Both FlightAware and FlightStats allow you to search for a flight by route, which is useful if you don’t have the flight number to hand.

AirNav Radar offers a similar way of tracking flights on a map to Flightradar24. You can use it to view the route and available aircraft data.

For information on check-in, departure gates or rebooking, please also use the airline’s website or app.

Why you can’t find a flight or why it disappears from the map

A flight not appearing on the radar does not in itself mean that it has been cancelled or that something has happened to the aircraft.

The search cannot find the flight number

First, check the date, route and number on your ticket. If the flight is sold by a different airline to the one actually operating it, it may be listed under a different number.

Try searching by route or using the airport’s arrivals board. For charter flights, the name of the actual operator may help.

The aeroplane disappeared during the flight

The service may temporarily stop receiving its location. This is usually caused by a gap in coverage, a technical problem or signal interference.

Check the flight status on the airline’s website, the airport’s website or another flight tracker. The disappearance of the icon does not necessarily indicate an emergency.

Data varies between services

Tracking services use different sources and may update their data at different times. Differences may also arise due to time zones or whether they are displaying landing, arrival at the stand or an estimated time.

If you are organising your own journey to the airport, follow the airline’s instructions. A delay shown on the radar is not, in itself, an instruction to arrive at the airport later.

💬 Can’t find a specific flight? Please post the flight number, date and route in the comments. If we have the necessary information, we’ll try to help.

How does Flightradar24 actually work?

Nowadays, most commercial aircraft (as well as some private and sports aircraft) are fitted with an ADS-B transponder, which transmits information on position, speed and so on.

These signals can also be picked up by any amateur receiver connected to the Flightradar24 programme.

Anyone with a device capable of receiving ADS-B signals can contribute. There are currently thousands of contributors, which is why Flightradar24’s coverage is now virtually 100 per cent in most civilised areas.

In the US, Flightradar24 also collects data from conventional and official radars, meaning that up to 95 per cent of all aircraft are displayed.

Paid versions

If you’re a real enthusiast, you might find one of the paid versions useful. These include additional features not available in the basic version:

• The aircraft’s current age,
• Rate of descent/climb,
• Speed and flight path graphs
• Flight history search covering a longer period (basic version: 7 days, Silver version: 60 days, Gold version: 180 days),
• Enhanced map display options (flight paths, waypoints, boundaries of individual air traffic control centres, etc.)
• Display of precipitation, clouds, storms… widely used, for example, when monitoring air traffic around hurricanes, which are clearly visible on Flightradar24.