Tracking Flights
Jan 31, 2009, 1:30 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG, Bonvoy Titanium, NEXUS
Posts: 174
Tracking Flights
Is there an easy way somewhere to figure out when planes change flight numbers on Horizon? For instance, I'm flying out tonight from Portland to Seattle on Flight 2606. I know that flight originates in Portland. I'd like to find out what flight that plane was used on previous to my flight, so I can set up a flight tracker for it. If that plane is late, then I can probably interpolate that might flight is going to be late too.
Ideas?
Thanks.
Ideas?
Thanks.
Jan 31, 2009, 4:18 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: (PHL) Cape May, NJ
Programs: MVP Gold 75K, Board Room, Marriott Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 2,439
The alaska airlines website flight tracker will actually provide delayed departure information which is probably the only thing you need to watch. Also, a delayed inbound does not always mean another outbound delay.
You could also watch the inbounds into PDX on flightaware.com, but its really not going to tell you much.
Your idea would require tail number tracking, as well as insight as to what flight the equipment was scheduled to do next, which is not publicly available.
You could also watch the inbounds into PDX on flightaware.com, but its really not going to tell you much.
Your idea would require tail number tracking, as well as insight as to what flight the equipment was scheduled to do next, which is not publicly available.
Jan 31, 2009, 5:09 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2005
Location: SEA, formerly DCA, PDX and JNU
Programs: AS MVPG75, UA 1K, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Gold, Starwood Gold, Hilton Platinum
Posts: 121
Only on CO
I think CO is the only airline that provides public information on what aircraft they are using and where it's coming from. The pda.continental.com site provides terrific info. It would be great if AS would give us this information.
Jan 31, 2009, 5:35 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
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Posts: 18,323
Im guessing QX2557. Its a CRJ arriving in PDX from SEA 45 min before your 9:30 CRJ flight to SEA. Its not always easy to tell. Flying from BOS-PDX, the plane usually continues to ANC. When we landed the crew didn' know whether it was going to be the same plane or not. They didn't know for sure until we got to the gate
Last edited by CDKing; Jan 31, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Jan 31, 2009, 6:55 pm
#5
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: YOW (mostly); PDX (some of the time)
Programs: AS (former)MVP, DL [NW-WP], AC Aeroplan, Starbucks Gold :)
Posts: 257
brownnet,
One Idea is to check the PDX arrivals and departures site and find out the gate your A/C is scheduled to depart out of. Knowing that, you can then click on the arrivals section and determine the A/C that arrives at the same gate nearest to the departure time.
Illustrative Example:
Q: Below is a replication of Flight Information Display monitors at Mt. Shasta International Airport. If I am departing on Volcanic Airlines flight # 003 to Vesuvius out of gate C-7, assuming no plane swaps are in order, all flights arrive and depart on time and no volcano is currently in eruptive mode, which volcano will my plane arrive from? (answer after the jump)
Departures
Airline // flight # // destination // time // gate
Volcanic Airlines // 011 // Mono-Inyo // 14:40 // C-7
Volcanic Airlines // 001 // Etna // 15:30 // C-5
Volcanic Airlines // 003 // Vesuvius //16:45 // C-7
Airrivals
Airline // flight # // origin // time // gate
Volcanic Airlines // 304 // Hood // 13:10 // C-7
Volcanic Airlines // 002 // Unzen // 14:50 // C-5
Volcanic Airlines // 012 // Karakatoa // 15:30 //C-7
A: Karakatoa on Volcanic Airlines flight #012, since it is arriving at the same gate I am scheduled to depart out of and no other flights are scheduled to arrive at my gate prior to my departure to Vesuvius.
I hope my explanations and example are helpful.
Happy travels!
^
~FAI PDX Flyer
One Idea is to check the PDX arrivals and departures site and find out the gate your A/C is scheduled to depart out of. Knowing that, you can then click on the arrivals section and determine the A/C that arrives at the same gate nearest to the departure time.
Illustrative Example:
Q: Below is a replication of Flight Information Display monitors at Mt. Shasta International Airport. If I am departing on Volcanic Airlines flight # 003 to Vesuvius out of gate C-7, assuming no plane swaps are in order, all flights arrive and depart on time and no volcano is currently in eruptive mode, which volcano will my plane arrive from? (answer after the jump)
Departures
Airline // flight # // destination // time // gate
Volcanic Airlines // 011 // Mono-Inyo // 14:40 // C-7
Volcanic Airlines // 001 // Etna // 15:30 // C-5
Volcanic Airlines // 003 // Vesuvius //16:45 // C-7
Airrivals
Airline // flight # // origin // time // gate
Volcanic Airlines // 304 // Hood // 13:10 // C-7
Volcanic Airlines // 002 // Unzen // 14:50 // C-5
Volcanic Airlines // 012 // Karakatoa // 15:30 //C-7
A: Karakatoa on Volcanic Airlines flight #012, since it is arriving at the same gate I am scheduled to depart out of and no other flights are scheduled to arrive at my gate prior to my departure to Vesuvius.
I hope my explanations and example are helpful.
Happy travels!
^~FAI PDX Flyer
Jan 31, 2009, 9:16 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
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Posts: 18,323
Im guessing QX2557. Its a CRJ arriving in PDX from SEA 45 min before your 9:30 CRJ flight to SEA. Its not always easy to tell. Flying from BOS-PDX, the plane usually continues to ANC. When we landed the crew didn' know whether it was going to be the same plane or not. They didn't know for sure until we got to the gate
Looks like i was correct. Also FAIPDXFlyer's method works too but gate info wasn't available when i checked earlier. I went based off aircraft type and the fact that arrival of 2557 and departure of 2606 were 45min apart. I've noticed most domestic flights are scheduled to leave within 45 min of the planes arrival.
Feb 1, 2009, 1:01 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Victoria, BC, Canada (YYJ)
Posts: 142
I wish I had seen this earlier today, I would have got the info for ya. The average Horizon turnaround is 30 minutes (sometimes will be more). If I remember, I'll look it up tomorrow if you're still interested.
Feb 1, 2009, 9:49 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG, Bonvoy Titanium, NEXUS
Posts: 174
Thanks to CDKing, I was able to set a flight tracker for 2257 and found out that it had been cancelled on the drive from Corvallis to PDX before I got to the airport. I had a bad feeling that mine was going to be cancelled to SEA, and as we know, it was.
I was with a group of 8 people across three cars. The first four people who made it got on the 8:30. I arrived in the last group and was 10 minutes late for that flight. The four of us that got left behind got to rent another car and make the drive of shame to SEA so we could get home. We stopped for Burgerville in Vancouver, before we left there I had a text from one of the lucky ones that had just landed in SEA. Don't tell me driving is just as quick as flying!!!
Good times.
Anyway, glad to have the tip about the PDX website, I'll be keeping an eye on that in the future when I'm short on time.
I was with a group of 8 people across three cars. The first four people who made it got on the 8:30. I arrived in the last group and was 10 minutes late for that flight. The four of us that got left behind got to rent another car and make the drive of shame to SEA so we could get home. We stopped for Burgerville in Vancouver, before we left there I had a text from one of the lucky ones that had just landed in SEA. Don't tell me driving is just as quick as flying!!!
Good times.
Anyway, glad to have the tip about the PDX website, I'll be keeping an eye on that in the future when I'm short on time.