For tracking a particular flight number from the little left sidebar form, I find the airline name entry field kind of frustrating. Seems like it should be able to recognize 2-character airline codes, but it always wants an airline name.
For example, if I type in KL for the airline and 662 for the flight number, I get the error “You must type in part of an airline name and then select the correct one from the box below the search form.” KL662 should be sufficient information, right? (Even “KLM” isn’t enough for the form!)
Minor nit-pick, I know… Thanks for providing a great service!
You can type the flight identifier (ICAO airline code + flight number) into the first box (Flight/Tail #). The middle box is intended for when you don’t know the ICAO airline code.
Hmm, OK. That appears to work for some flights (e.g., “CO1”), but not my original example (“KL662”). Guess that’s why I didn’t clue into the feature.
When I type in “KL662”, I get the error: “FlightAware couldn’t find KL662 just yet. Please double-check the flight number/identifier. If you typed it in correctly and it’s still not showing up, …”
Air traffic control uses ICAO codes for flights, even domestic ones. Re-read dbaker’s posting. He said that FlightAware has manually added IATA codes for some airlines but not all. To manually add all IATA codes would be a job-and-a-half due to the number of codes.
