flight-viz.com

A flight tracker is a tool that shows where aircraft are right now and lets you follow one specific flight. You use it two ways: a live map view for watching planes move, and a flight status view for checking whether a particular flight is on time. Flight Viz, for example, renders 10,000+ live aircraft on an interactive 3D globe in your browser, and it's free with no login required. To track a flight there, you search a flight number, click the aircraft to see its details, and optionally check the airport's departure or arrival board for scheduled vs actual times.

Live map tracking vs. flight status lookup

These are different jobs, and knowing which one you need saves time.

A live map answers "where is it?" A status lookup answers "is it on time?" Many questions need both.

How to track a specific flight

1. Get the flight number. This is the airline code plus number, like the identifiers shown on a boarding pass or booking confirmation. Route alone (city pair) is less precise because multiple flights fly the same route daily.
2. Enter it in the search field. Flight Viz's "Search Any Flight" accepts a flight number and either locates it on the map or shows its schedule.
3. Click the aircraft on the map. This opens the flight details panel: aircraft type, photo, route, speed, altitude, and estimated landing time.
4. Check the airport board if you care about timing. Click any airport dot to see live departures and arrivals styled like an airport FIDS display, including scheduled vs actual times and delay calculations.
5. Add overlays if useful. Toggle weather radar to see storms relative to the flight path, or filter by airline or country of origin to cut through clutter.

Expected result: you should see the aircraft's current position and its details, or a schedule entry if the flight isn't airborne yet.

What the data actually tells you

• Speed and altitude confirm the flight is in cruise versus climbing or descending — useful for judging whether it's near landing.
• Estimated landing time is the number most people want; treat it as an estimate, not a guarantee.
• Aircraft type and photo help you confirm you're looking at the right flight when numbers are similar.
• Delay calculations compare scheduled against actual times, which is more informative than a single "delayed" label.
• Icons differ by aircraft class — commercial jets, cargo planes, propeller aircraft, helicopters, and military — so a helicopter over a city isn't a mis-tracked airliner.

Flight Viz sources real-time positions from OpenSky Network and FlightRadar24, so coverage depends on those feeds.

Why a flight may not show up

• The flight isn't airborne yet. Before departure there's no live position; use the schedule or the airport departure board instead.
• Position is stale. Feeds update on intervals, so a plane can appear to lag or jump. Refresh before concluding something is wrong.
• The flight number changed or was mistyped. Airline codes matter — a wrong prefix returns nothing.
• The browser can't run it. Flight Viz requires JavaScript and WebGL2; without them the map won't render.
• The airport isn't covered. Flight Viz covers 192 major airports worldwide, including ATL, ORD, DFW, DEN, LAX, JFK, LHR, CDG, DXB, HND, SIN, and SYD. Smaller airports may not have a board.

Practical notes

The 3D globe is built with Rust compiled to WebAssembly and raw WebGL2 shaders, which is why it can render thousands of aircraft smoothly at 60fps — relevant if you're tracking many flights at once rather than one. If you only need a single flight's status, the search-and-click path is faster than scanning the globe. If you're meeting someone at an airport, the departure/arrival board plus the delay calculation is the more useful combination than the map alone.

An airport arrivals board is a live display of flights landing at a specific airport, showing each flight's number, origin, scheduled arrival time, estimated or actual arrival time, status, and often the gate or terminal. You can check the same information online: open a flight-tracking site, select the airport, and read its arrivals list, or search a flight number directly to see that aircraft's estimated landing time and delay status. The main conditions are that the airport is covered by the tracker's data sources and that your browser can run the site — Flight Viz, for example, requires JavaScript and WebGL2.

What an Arrivals Board Actually Shows

Airports display this information on FIDS (Flight Information Display Systems) — the screens above baggage claim and in terminals. A typical arrivals row contains:

• Flight number and airline — the identifier you'd also use to search the flight
• Origin — the departure airport the flight is arriving from
• Scheduled arrival time — the timetable time
• Estimated or actual arrival time — updated as the flight progresses
• Status — on time, delayed, landed, or cancelled
• Gate or terminal — where to meet the arriving passenger

The key distinction is scheduled vs. actual. Scheduled is what the timetable says; actual (or estimated) reflects what the aircraft is really doing. Delay calculations come from comparing the two.

How to Check Live Arrivals for a Specific Airport

1. Open a live flight map or flight tracker in your browser.
2. Find the airport on the map — Flight Viz covers 192 major airports worldwide, including ATL, ORD, DFW, DEN, LAX, JFK, LHR, CDG, DXB, HND, SIN, and SYD.
3. Click the airport dot. On Flight Viz this opens a live departure and arrival board styled like an airport FIDS display.
4. Read the arrivals list: each row shows the incoming flight, its origin, scheduled and actual times, and status.

The expected result is a continuously updating list of flights landing at that airport. If the airport isn't among the covered ones, no board will appear — coverage is limited to the supported airport set, not every airfield in the world.

How to Look Up a Single Arriving Flight

If you know the flight number, you don't need the airport board at all:

1. Enter the flight number in the tracker's search field.
2. The map locates that aircraft and shows its details.
3. Read the flight information panel: aircraft type, route, speed, altitude, and estimated landing time.
4. Check the delay information — scheduled versus actual departure and arrival times with the delay calculated for you.

This is the faster path when you're meeting one specific passenger rather than monitoring an entire airport.

Reading Arrival Statuses

Statuses update as new position data arrives, so a flight can move from "on time" to "delayed" mid-journey. Treat any single reading as a snapshot, not a final answer.

Where the Data Comes From and What to Expect

Flight Viz uses real-time data from OpenSky Network and FlightRadar24, rendering live aircraft positions on an interactive 3D globe. Because it's built with Rust compiled to WebAssembly and raw WebGL2 shaders, it can render thousands of aircraft at once — the site reports 10,000+ live aircraft.

Limitations worth knowing before you rely on it:

• Update lag — positions refresh on an interval, so the newest reading may be slightly behind the aircraft's true position.
• Coverage gaps — data depends on crowdsourced and network sources; some regions and smaller airports report less reliably.
• Airport coverage — only the supported airports have clickable arrival boards.
• Browser requirements — JavaScript and WebGL2 must be enabled, or the app won't run.

For meeting someone at the airport, use the arrivals board for the airport-wide picture and the flight-number search for the specific aircraft — then confirm the gate with the airport itself, since gate assignments aren't guaranteed to appear in third-party data.

An airport departure board is a live list of flights leaving one airport, showing each flight's number, destination, scheduled and actual departure time, status, and delay. You can check one online by opening a flight tracker, clicking the airport on its map, and reading the departures panel — on Flight Viz this works for 192 major airports including ATL, LHR, CDG, DXB, HND, and SIN, and no login is required. The main caveat: online boards mirror the same data sources as the physical terminal displays, so they can lag or disagree during disruptions.

What an airport departure board actually shows

A departure board — often called a FIDS (Flight Information Display System) — answers one question: what is leaving this airport, and when? The fields you'll see:

The status column is the one to read first. A flight can show an on-time scheduled time and still be delayed — the status and delay fields are what reflect reality.

Departures vs. arrivals: don't mix them up

Departure boards and arrival boards look nearly identical but track opposite ends of a flight:

• Departures = flights leaving this airport. Use it if you're flying out or picking someone up at the start of their trip.
• Arrivals = flights landing at this airport. Use it if you're meeting someone at the destination.

A flight appears on the departure board of its origin airport and the arrival board of its destination airport. If you're searching for "my flight" and can't find it, you're probably looking at the wrong board.

How to check live departures online

The general steps work on any tracker that offers airport boards:

1. Open the flight tracker in a browser. Flight Viz runs in-browser and requires JavaScript and WebGL2 enabled.
2. Find the airport — either search it or click its dot on the 3D globe or flat map.
3. Open the departures panel. On Flight Viz, clicking any airport dot shows its live departure and arrival board, styled like a real terminal FIDS display.
4. Read the status and delay columns to spot flights that are late or cancelled.
5. Cross-check a specific flight by entering its flight number to see its route, aircraft, speed, altitude, and estimated landing time.

Expected result: you get a live list of that airport's outbound flights with status and delay information, plus the ability to drill into any single flight.

Why live departure data can be wrong or late

Online boards aren't magic — they relay position and schedule data from sources like OpenSky Network and FlightRadar24. That creates predictable gaps:

• Update lag. Positions refresh on an interval, so a just-boarded flight may still read "on time" for a few minutes.
• Gate and terminal info is often missing. Many trackers show schedule and status but not the gate — check the airline's own app or the airport's official site for that.
• Disruption spikes. During weather or ATC issues, dozens of flights change status at once and boards can fall behind the terminal displays.
• Coverage limits. A tracker covering major airports won't have the same detail for small regional fields.

When to use a tracker vs. the airline

Use a flight tracker when you want a fast, visual, airport-wide view — seeing every departure at once, spotting delay patterns, or checking a flight without an account. Use the airline's app or the airport's official website when you need authoritative gate numbers, boarding calls, or rebooking. The two aren't competitors: the tracker gives you the wide picture, the airline gives you the final word.

A live flight map is an interactive map that plots aircraft positions in near real time, updating as planes move. You use it to find a specific flight, follow its progress, and check whether it is on schedule. On Flight Viz, for example, 10,000+ aircraft are rendered on a 3D globe in your browser, and you can search any flight number to locate it, click an airport to see live departure and arrival boards, and open an aircraft to view its type, route, speed, altitude, and delay status. It is free and requires no login, but it does require JavaScript and WebGL2.

What a live flight map shows

A live flight map is not a route diagram. A static route map shows where flights can go; a live map shows where aircraft are right now, based on continuously refreshed position data.

On Flight Viz, the map layer includes:

• Live aircraft positions — every tracked flight moving in real time on a 3D globe or flat map.
• Aircraft icons by type — different symbols for commercial jets, cargo planes, propeller aircraft, helicopters, and military aircraft.
• Weather radar overlay — a toggle that shows storms relative to flight paths.
• Airport markers — clickable dots for supported airports, which open live departure and arrival boards.

The underlying positions come from OpenSky Network and FlightRadar24 data, rendered with Rust compiled to WebAssembly and WebGL2 shaders so thousands of aircraft can move smoothly at once.

How to track a specific flight

The core task is simple: turn a flight number into a moving dot you can follow.

1. Get the flight number. Use the one printed on your ticket or boarding pass (for example, an airline code plus a number), not just the route.
2. Enter it in the search field. Flight Viz accepts any flight number and will either place it on the map or show its schedule.
3. Locate the aircraft. The matching flight appears on the globe; click it to open the detail panel.
4. Read the details. The panel shows aircraft type, a photo, route, speed, altitude, and estimated landing time.
5. Check timing. Scheduled versus actual departure and arrival times are shown with delay calculations, so you can see whether the flight is early, on time, or late.

If you do not have a flight number, you can work from the airport instead: click an airport dot to open its departure or arrival board, styled like a real airport FIDS display, and find the flight there.

Reading the aircraft and delay information

Once a flight is selected, the detail panel is where the useful answers live. The table below maps what you see to what it tells you.

For following someone else's flight, the combination of estimated landing time and delay status is usually what you need. For understanding a flight you are about to take, the scheduled-versus-actual comparison is the more useful pair.

Using airport boards to follow a flight

Airport departure and arrival boards are the better entry point when you know the airport but not the flight number, or when you want context around a flight.

Flight Viz covers 192 major airports worldwide, including ATL, ORD, DFW, DEN, LAX, JFK, LHR, CDG, DXB, HND, SIN, and SYD. Clicking any airport dot opens its live board. From there you can:

• Scan departures to find a flight by destination or time.
• Switch to arrivals to see what is inbound.
• Cross-check a flight you already found on the map against its board entry.

You can also filter flights by airline or country of origin, which helps narrow a crowded map when you only care about one carrier or region.

Why a flight may not appear or update

Missing or stale flights are common and usually not a fault on your end. Things worth checking:

• JavaScript and WebGL2 are enabled. Flight Viz requires both; without them the map will not render.
• The flight number format. Airline code plus number is what the search expects.
• Data coverage. Positions depend on OpenSky Network and FlightRadar24 feeds, so a flight outside coverage or not yet transmitting may be absent.
• Timing. A flight that has not departed, or has already landed, may not show as a live aircraft even though its schedule exists.
• Refresh lag. Live maps update continuously but not instantly; a brief delay between reality and the display is normal.

If a flight is missing, try the airport board instead — schedule data often appears there even when a live position does not.

Quick answer

A live flight map shows where aircraft actually are, updated in real time. To track a flight on one: search its flight number, click the aircraft on the map, and read the detail panel for route, speed, altitude, and delay status. If you only know the airport, open its departure or arrival board instead. Flight Viz does all of this free and without login, provided your browser supports JavaScript and WebGL2.

Real-time flight tracking means watching an aircraft's actual position, speed, and altitude update continuously on a map, rather than reading a static schedule. On Flight Viz, you can do this free and without logging in: it renders 10,000+ live aircraft on an interactive 3D globe in your browser, drawing position data from OpenSky Network and FlightRadar24. You need JavaScript and WebGL2 enabled, since the map is built with Rust compiled to WebAssembly and raw WebGL2 shaders. If you just want to follow one flight, search its flight number; if you want to understand the whole picture, use the globe and airport boards.

How real-time flight tracking works

Aircraft broadcast their position, and tracking services collect those broadcasts, merge them into a live feed, and draw each plane on a map. Flight Viz refreshes this continuously and can render thousands of aircraft at once at up to 60fps.

What you can read from a tracked flight:

• Live position on a 3D globe or flat map
• Speed and altitude
• Route and aircraft type, with a photo
• Estimated landing time
• Delay status, calculated from scheduled vs. actual times

Different icons distinguish commercial jets, cargo planes, propeller aircraft, helicopters, and military aircraft, so you can tell at a glance what kind of aircraft you're looking at.

Track a specific flight by number

1. Open Flight Viz in a browser with JavaScript and WebGL2 enabled.
2. Enter the flight number in the search field.
3. The aircraft appears on the map; click it to open its details panel.
4. Read type, photo, route, speed, altitude, and estimated landing time from that panel.

Expected result: you see the aircraft's current position and can follow it as it moves. If the flight number returns nothing, see the troubleshooting section below before assuming the flight doesn't exist.

Use airport departure and arrival boards

Flight Viz covers 192 major airports worldwide, including ATL, ORD, DFW, DEN, LAX, JFK, LHR, CDG, DXB, HND, SIN, and SYD.

• Click any airport dot on the map to open its live departure and arrival board.
• The board is styled like a real airport FIDS display, so scheduled and actual times sit side by side.
• Use it when you know the airport but not the flight number, or when you want to check whether a flight has actually departed or landed.

This is often the faster route for a status check: find the airport, scan the board, then click through to the aircraft on the map.

Interpret delay information correctly

Delay is not a single number — it comes from comparing scheduled against actual departure and arrival times. When you open a flight's details, check both ends:

• A late actual departure with an on-time estimated arrival usually means the airline made up time in the air.
• An on-time departure with a slipping arrival estimate suggests en-route or destination conditions.
• Toggle the weather radar overlay to see storms relative to the flight path, which helps explain routing changes and delays.

Why a flight may not appear or update

Coverage gaps are normal: position data depends on receivers on the ground and aircraft broadcasting, so some regions and some phases of flight update less reliably than others. A flight that doesn't show up is more often a data gap than a cancelled flight.

Quick reference

• Best for one flight: search by flight number, click the aircraft, read the details panel.
• Best for status checks: click the airport dot, read the FIDS-style board.
• Best for context: use the 3D globe with weather radar and country/airline filters.
• Requirements: JavaScript and WebGL2; free and no login required.