Tracking Flight

I would like my grandchildren to track our flight from O’Hare (ORD) to Zurich (ZRH). To test FlightAware’s tracking ability, I found that Continental had a flight going to Zurich last night. I entered the airline (Continental) and the flight number and was able to track that airplane.

We are flying United Airlines (operated by Swiss). The same plane we are taking took off tonight at 7:15 p.m. for Zurich, however, when I enter United Airlines and the flight number, that flight is not tracked. I tried to enter SwissAir and the flight number and that didn’t work.

Am I able to give my grandchildren this site to track our flight to Zurich via United or won’t this site track that airline since it is operated by Swiss?

It looks like Swiss is regularly using a funny flight number for that flight, SWR9UT.

I found the flight number using the Flight Finder page, which is linked to just below the commercial flight tracking button.

FlightAware should track the flight until it is about halfway over the Atlantic.

I put SWR9UT in the appropriate box; it did not track the flight. I put United Airlines and the above flight number and it still did not track. Sorry about being so stupid, but when I go to the Flight Finder page and put in ORD for O’Hare and ZRH for Zurich, I still don’t find any flight info.

You can click on the following link any time the plane is flying:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWR9UT

It will show the most recent flight if it’s out of range or on the ground.

Thank you. Appreciate your help!!!

When you’re using the airline/flight number that is already coded up, put it in the Flight/Tail # box rather than the Airline Name box.

Air traffic control uses 4 digit ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) airport codes rather than the 3 digit IATA (International Air Transport Association) codes that airlines use. We’ve automated the conversion between the two in the US, but for international airports you need to know the code. For Zurich the code is LSZH.

It’s interesting that tonight’s SWR9UT flight comes in two pieces:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWR9UT/history/20060924/0050Z/KORD/LSZH

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWR9UT/history/20060924/0220Z/KORD/LSZH

Somewhere west of Montreal the aircraft was miraculously transformed from an A332/Q to an A332/W. In fact, it happens on most SWR9UT flights. What’s going on there?

Perhaps the flight number changes once it can no longer be tracked by FlightAware. It is my understanding that FlightAware can only track these flights to a certain point.

Maybe they’re reconfiguring the interior of the a/c inflight to save time?? :smiley:

NavCanada generates a duplicate departure message, complete with new equipment suffix.