Where's Waldo?

Well, if Waldo is flying on a commercial airliner, one sure fire way to find him is via http://flightaware.com.

I use this site any time I have family or friends coming in to see me, or those that need a lift from the airport.

Personally, I like the site because it gives me all sorts of information besides when the plane is expected to arrive. If there are delays to any of the major airports, the average delay is shown on the left side of the main page. Right now, as of 10:25 am, it is showing there are 1 hour airport delays at San Francisco Int'l Airport and 36 minute delays at Atlanta. That's really good information, not only if your folks are departing from one of those, but also if they are connecting through.

There are a number of services they offer their members such as "Flight Planning", and "Pilot Resources". My pilot friends require no explanation of those services. My non-pilot friends don't need them.

That's all I'll say about that.

It is pretty easy to use. All you have to do is type in the airline name in one box and the flight number in the next box below and *enter*. A new screen will come up. If the flight hasn't departed yet, it will show you the route of flight (at the top/center of the new screen). To the right there is all the other information about the flight, including the type of aircraft, departure point, destination, route of flight, date, duration, status, distance in direct miles and actual miles by routing, and fare information. If the flight is airborne, the next box below will tell you when the flight departed, when it is expected to arrive, the speed at which the aircraft is operating at, and the altitude of the aircraft.

That's a lot of information, and it's free.

For most folks, just being able to find out the estimated time of arrival will suffice.

Still, next time you have someone coming in to see you, you have an upcoming flight, or you're stuck at the airport sitting in front of an empty gate waiting for the inbound that will be your outbound, give them a try.

It'll be more accurate and honest information than you'll be able to get from the gate agent.

Until the next time, all y'all take care of yourselves.

Air Traffic Mike, ret.