Guides · Flying explained
How to read a flight status — and when to actually worry
Scheduled," "estimated," "on time at the gate but late off the ground": what the statuses mean, where the data comes from, and what to do about each one.
A flight status looks simple: on time, delayed, cancelled. Underneath is a chain of data from the airline's operations centre, the airport, air traffic control and the aircraft itself, each updating on its own clock. Knowing which number comes from where tells you how much to trust it.
The statuses
Scheduled. The timetable. Nothing live yet. Before about 24 hours out, this is all anyone has.
Expected / Estimated. The airline has issued an operational prediction. It accounts for the aircraft's inbound flight, crew, and the airport's current state. This is the number to plan around.
Boarding / Gate departure / Taxiing. The flight is moving through the departure sequence. "Departed" on most trackers means left the gate, not took off — on a busy day there can be 30–40 minutes between the two.
En route / Airborne. Take-off happened; the arrival estimate now comes from the aircraft's position and speed and is the most accurate figure of the day.
Landed / Arrived. Landed means wheels down; arrived means at the gate. Baggage typically appears 15–40 minutes after arrival at the gate.
Delayed. An estimate at least 15 minutes after the schedule. Airlines revise delays in increments, so a 30-minute delay that becomes 60 then 90 is common. Each revision usually reflects a new constraint being discovered, not a plan.
Cancelled. Act immediately — see your rights when a flight is cancelled.
Diverted. The aircraft is landing somewhere other than its destination. Weather at the destination, a medical emergency or a technical issue are the usual causes; the airline will say more once it's on the ground.
The inbound aircraft is the real forecast
Most delays are inherited. The plane for your 6 pm flight is the one landing at 4:30 pm from somewhere else. If that flight is an hour late, yours will be too, long before the airline updates your status.
Flight trackers let you look up the inbound flight (search the tail number or ask the gate agent which flight the aircraft is coming from). An hour before departure, the inbound's status is a better predictor than your own.
What's worth worrying about
- A delay on the last flight of the evening is the one to act on: if it cancels, there's no later option, and hotels near the airport fill fast.
- A delay that keeps growing in 30-minute steps on a clear-weather day often signals a mechanical or crew-time problem, which can end in cancellation.
- A short connection with the first flight delayed: check whether later connections exist before you land, and ask the airline to protect you on one.
Conversely, a 20-minute delay on a long-haul flight is noise; the schedule has padding and the aircraft can make it up.
Where our numbers come from
The flight status tool on this site shows the airline's operational times via aviation data providers, in local airport time. Gate and belt numbers appear as the airport publishes them, typically within a few hours of departure or arrival. For the inbound aircraft and the live position, a dedicated tracker such as FlightAware or Flightradar24 is the right tool; for "should I leave for the airport yet," ours is.