FlightInfoStatus - UAE9852 - questions on response data

FlightAware AeroAPI
1

Hi,

I’m querying FlightXml3 FlightInfoStatus method like this:
https://flightxml.flightaware.com/json/FlightXML3/FlightInfoStatus?ident=UAE9852&howMany=15&include_ex_data=false

The response obtained is this:

{
"FlightInfoStatusResult": {
    "next_offset": -1,
    "flights": [
        {
            "ident": "UAE9852",
            "faFlightID": "UAE9852-1515579526-adhoc-0",
            "airline": "UAE",
            "flightnumber": "9852",
            "tailnumber": "A6-EFJ",
            "type": "Form_Airline",
            "blocked": false,
            "diverted": false,
            "cancelled": false,
            "origin": {
                "code": "OMDW",
                "city": "Dubai",
                "alternate_ident": "DWC",
                "airport_name": "Al Maktoum Int'l"
            },
            "destination": {
                "code": "L 21.25060 105.70500",
                "city": "Hanoi",
                "alternate_ident": "",
                "airport_name": "Hanoi"
            },
            "filed_departure_time": {
                "epoch": 1515579526,
                "tz": "+04",
                "dow": "Wednesday",
                "time": "02:18PM",
                "date": "01/10/2018",
                "localtime": 1515593926
            },
            "estimated_departure_time": {
                "epoch": 1515579526,
                "tz": "+04",
                "dow": "Wednesday",
                "time": "02:18PM",
                "date": "01/10/2018",
                "localtime": 1515593926
            },
            "actual_departure_time": {
                "epoch": 1515579526,
                "tz": "+04",
                "dow": "Wednesday",
                "time": "02:18PM",
                "date": "01/10/2018",
                "localtime": 1515593926
            },
            "departure_delay": 0,
            "filed_arrival_time": {
                "epoch": 0
            },
            "estimated_arrival_time": {
                "epoch": 0
            },
            "actual_arrival_time": {
                "epoch": 1515579526,
                "tz": "+07",
                "dow": "Wednesday",
                "time": "05:18PM",
                "date": "01/10/2018",
                "localtime": 1515604726
            },
            "status": "result unknown",
            "progress_percent": 100,
            "adhoc": true
        },
        {
            "ident": "UAE9852",
            "faFlightID": "A6EFH-1514967330-adhoc-0",
            "airline": "UAE",
            "flightnumber": "9852",
            "tailnumber": "A6-EFH",
            "type": "Form_Airline",
            "blocked": false,
            "diverted": false,
            "cancelled": false,
            "origin": {
                "code": "OMDW",
                "city": "Dubai",
                "alternate_ident": "DWC",
                "airport_name": "Al Maktoum Int'l"
            },
            "destination": {
                "code": "L 21.24990 105.70700",
                "city": "Hanoi",
                "alternate_ident": "",
                "airport_name": "Hanoi"
            },
            "filed_departure_time": {
                "epoch": 1514967330,
                "tz": "+04",
                "dow": "Wednesday",
                "time": "12:15PM",
                "date": "01/03/2018",
                "localtime": 1514981730
            },
            "estimated_departure_time": {
                "epoch": 1514967330,
                "tz": "+04",
                "dow": "Wednesday",
                "time": "12:15PM",
                "date": "01/03/2018",
                "localtime": 1514981730
            },
            "actual_departure_time": {
                "epoch": 1514967330,
                "tz": "+04",
                "dow": "Wednesday",
                "time": "12:15PM",
                "date": "01/03/2018",
                "localtime": 1514981730
            },
            "departure_delay": 0,
            "filed_arrival_time": {
                "epoch": 0
            },
            "estimated_arrival_time": {
                "epoch": 0
            },
            "actual_arrival_time": {
                "epoch": 1514967330,
                "tz": "+07",
                "dow": "Wednesday",
                "time": "03:15PM",
                "date": "01/03/2018",
                "localtime": 1514992530
            },
            "status": "result unknown",
            "progress_percent": 100,
            "adhoc": true
        },
        {
            "ident": "UAE9852",
            "faFlightID": "UAE9852-1514548084-adhoc-0",
            "airline": "UAE",
            "flightnumber": "9852",
            "tailnumber": "A6-EFK",
            "type": "Form_Airline",
            "blocked": false,
            "diverted": false,
            "cancelled": false,
            "origin": {
                "code": "OMDW",
                "city": "Dubai",
                "alternate_ident": "DWC",
                "airport_name": "Al Maktoum Int'l"
            },
            "destination": {
                "code": "L 21.24990 105.70700",
                "city": "Hanoi",
                "alternate_ident": "",
                "airport_name": "Hanoi"
            },
            "filed_departure_time": {
                "epoch": 1514548084,
                "tz": "+04",
                "dow": "Friday",
                "time": "03:48PM",
                "date": "12/29/2017",
                "localtime": 1514562484
            },
            "estimated_departure_time": {
                "epoch": 1514548084,
                "tz": "+04",
                "dow": "Friday",
                "time": "03:48PM",
                "date": "12/29/2017",
                "localtime": 1514562484
            },
            "actual_departure_time": {
                "epoch": 1514548084,
                "tz": "+04",
                "dow": "Friday",
                "time": "03:48PM",
                "date": "12/29/2017",
                "localtime": 1514562484
            },
            "departure_delay": 0,
            "filed_arrival_time": {
                "epoch": 0
            },
            "estimated_arrival_time": {
                "epoch": 0
            },
            "actual_arrival_time": {
                "epoch": 1514548084,
                "tz": "+07",
                "dow": "Friday",
                "time": "06:48PM",
                "date": "12/29/2017",
                "localtime": 1514573284
            },
            "status": "result unknown",
            "progress_percent": 100,
            "adhoc": true
        }
    ]
}

}

How can I have actual arrival times that are equal actual departure times (epochs)? What does that means?
What result unknown means in this case?
What adhoc = true ,means?

Basically I need help on how my application should interpret these data. It was expected this flight to take off today, but I think something happened.

Thanks in advance.

2

UAE9852 looks to be an Emirates Cargo flight and it doesn’t seem that we are receiving flight plans for their DWC-HAN route. We will show these flights as position only flights or adhoc and if we receive position reports via ADS-B or another source, the flight can be trackable as a position-only flight.

Note that position-only flights are by nature less accurate, since FlightAware has not received a filed origin, destination, or route, and the aircraft may enter and leave areas of coverage throughout the flight.

3

Thanks Stephen,

So in this case I must interpret that the flight-info is unknown and is not likely to me to receive an updated data from this flight for events that already passed in time, right? Like receiving hours later that the flight was cancelled or something similar? If is unknown, the status wont change, right?

Another question is, is adhoc = true, something related with the fact you don’t have flight-plan for a specific route and show it in your site as a position only flight?
Can you tell me if these cases are relative common, or rare? Does it depend on the company itself that you, for some reason don’t receive information? Putting in other words, are there companies that are more likely to this to occur than others?
I’m asking this because I’m particularly interested in tracking some flights from air cargo companies, mainly from these ones:

icao comp_cod2 comp_name
ACA AC Air Canada
CCA CA Air China Ltd.
AFR AF Air France Cargo
ABW RU AirBridgeCargo Airlines
GTI 5Y Atlas Air, Inc.
CLX CV Cargolux Airlines International S.A.
CKK CK China Cargo Airlines Co,. Ltd.
CSN CZ China Southern Airlines
GEC LH Deutsche Lufthansa AG
ELY LY EL AL Israel Airlines Ltd.
UAE EK Emirates
ETH ET Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise
ETD EY Etihad Airways
IBE IB IBERIA Lineas Aereas de Espana
ICE FI Icelandair
KLM KL KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
KAL KE KOREANAIRCARGO AIRLINES
GEC LH Lufthansa Cargo AG
MEA ME Middle East Airlines AirLiban
QTR QR QATAR AIRWAYS
RJA RJ Royal Jordanian (Alia - The Royal Jordanian Airline)
SVA SV Saudi Arabian Airlines
SIA SQ SINGAPORE AIRLINES CARGO PTE
THY TK Turkish Airlines Inc.
ICL 5C C.A.L. CARGO AIR LINES
NCA KZ Nippon Cargo Airlines Co.Ltd.

It is more likely to have problems tracking flights from specific companies than others because of some specific reason? You probably have stats on this, regarding the success of tracking capabilities.
Can you tell me if any of these companies are more like to fail or have less accurate data because of have a record of them that tells that? Do you have more issues because these are also cargo companies?

Thanks in advance.

4

I only have experience dealing with flights in the US and Canada, but, something to be aware of with cargo flights is that they frequently file plans under their parent/affiliate airline - I’ve seen this with Lufthansa / Lufthansa Cargo / AeroLogic, Air Canada / CargoJet, and Singapore / Singapore Cargo… there also seem to be problems with cargo operators getting listing the same flights multiple times with different numbers, etc… nothing you wouldn’t have figured out eventually, but, worth being aware of if you’re not already.

5

Thanks for the tips @ottergoose. I’m wondering if this is one of those cases… :\
Despite that, I still would like to recieve any feedback/advise from Flightaware staff in this case, what they can tell me on this.

6

If actual_departure_time==actual_arrival_time that would mean we received information that the flight departed, but we did not receive any information on an arrival and gave up waiting for an arrival message. This is typically indicated by result unknown or something similar on the FlightAware site.

adhoc==true while en route means that we have not received a destination and an eta.
adhoc==true after the flight has landed would mean that we did not receive receive or interpret an arrival airport.
adhoc==true while en route then adhoc==false after arrival (for the same flightid) means we interpreted the origin and destination. We would now have origin, destination, and eta to satisfy the conditions for the flight to not be adhoc.

Your statement regarding adhoc is correct. As far as frequency goes, it depends on what your tracking. Often times cargo flights that fly as the same callsign as the passenger flights, will come up as adhoc, but we may infer the departing and/or arrival airport.

7

I think I’m more clarified on this. Thanks for your support.