How can I find incoming flight information?
 

I am on UA 914 tomorrow from Dulles to Paris. Is it possible to determine which incoming flight will make up this flight number? Flight 914 was FIVE hours late today due to late arriving aircraft. I am just wondering if there is a way to find out where this plane is arriving from.

This is usually very difficult to do unless you have access to internal UA systems. At airports with a small amount of UA traffic, it is somewhat easier, as you can see that only one 757 arrives each day etc. At IAD, it is almost impossible.

I can do this at MSP just by looking at arrival times / gates and matching up with my departing flight. But, there are only 3 gates there, and its not easy.

I dont think this would be possible at IAD even for domestic flights. For international flight, if its an international arrival, it may not even depart from the same gate as it arrived.

You can call UA and they will tell you very easily. All agents have this info available.

It can be done.

In this case your job is easier because you're probably flying on a 777 or international 763.

Find the time you're flight leaves, then go though UA's timetables to find the exact same plane type that arrives about 1-3 hours before your scheduled departure. Go to UA's web site and check the planned arrival gate for each one of those flights against your planned departure gate. When you find the match, you've found your incoming flight.

And once you find the match, try to see if the gate match holds on other days, too.

You can always call UA. ;)

Not hard at all. That flight uses a 777. On the current schedule, there are only five 777s that are available at that time: 915 (CDG-IAD), 902 (DEN-IAD), 903 (MUC-IAD), 947 (AMS-IAD) and 936 (ORD-IAD). The last one changes to a 763 on Oct. 30. All planes depart from the gate they arrive at, both domestic and international. For example, the plane that came from CDG today went to MUC, at Gate C4. The plane coming from DEN flew back to DEN, at Gate D3.

Sometimes, mechanicals happen and aircraft are switched -- and today is a good example. The plane coming from AMS and destined for CDG at Gate C7 had a problem, so 914 had to wait for another 777 coming from DEN (which was almost three hours late because of weather).

The plane for 914 on Thursday actually comes from CDG as 915. Obviously, that plane will be late arriving in CDG because of tonight's delay. But it looks like there will be enough time to turn it around pretty much on time -- it arrives at 11:46 a.m. and is supposed to leave at 1:00 p.m.

Of course, last minutes changes of aircraft and gates are always possible but not frequent.

Thank you Nicholas. It is amazing you were able to figure all that out! So do I understand that the aircraft for flight 914 on Wednesday was supposed to be the arriving flight from Amsterdam. But on Thursday it will be the arriving flight 915 from CDG? Thanks very much for your time and explanation.

Yes, that's right. Sent you a private message.

I would give them a call to get the info.