Frequently Asked Questions

cwsi.net is a flight tracker and travel toolkit for frequent flyers, aviation fans and pilots. It combines a live flight tracker with airline fare class charts, miles and points calculators, airport lounges, airport information, weather and NOTAMs, and trip tracking. It is especially useful for professional pilots who fly private or charter aircraft and also travel as passengers on airlines. It is an independent site and is not affiliated with any airline or with the FAA.

Most of it is. The fare class charts, calculators, lounge finder and the everyday flight tracker are free to use. Some features are for members. See Membership for what members get.

Yes. There is an Android app on Google Play, and an iPhone app is coming. The website works in any browser on a phone or computer.

FlightAware is a well-known flight tracking and flight data service, used by travelers and by aviation businesses. cwsi.net is not affiliated with FlightAware. cwsi.net is built for frequent flyers, aviation fans and pilots, especially pilots who fly private or charter aircraft and also ride airlines. You can follow your airline flight in the tracker and, as a Gold member, follow a private aircraft by tail number, next to mileage and fare class calculators, lounges, airport weather and NOTAMs. We are not a replacement for a flight data service built for airline operations.

ForeFlight is a flight planning and electronic flight bag app for pilots, with aeronautical charts, weather briefings, weight and balance and flight plan filing. cwsi.net is not affiliated with ForeFlight and is not a flight planning tool. Many pilots use both kinds of app: ForeFlight to plan and file, and cwsi.net to follow flights, check airports, and keep track of their own airline trips and positioning flights. Nothing on cwsi.net is meant for flight planning or navigation.

Flightradar24 is a global live flight map built largely on a worldwide network of volunteer ADS-B receivers. cwsi.net is not affiliated with Flightradar24. Our tracker is centered on flights in the United States and is made for frequent flyers, aviation fans and pilots, including pilots who deadhead on airlines and follow their own aircraft. It sits next to mileage and fare class calculators, lounges and airport information. If you want a worldwide view of every aircraft broadcasting ADS-B, a global map service is the better fit.

No. cwsi.net is for information and enjoyment only. Do not use it to navigate, to plan or file a flight, or for any safety-related decision. Pilots should use approved charts, briefings and flight planning tools, and travelers should check their airline for official flight status.

No. We do not show military flights. Government aircraft that we can identify are left out as well.

Yes. The FAA Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed (LADD) program lets aircraft owners ask that their aircraft not be shown in public flight tracking. We follow the LADD block list, which is updated weekly, so an aircraft on it is not shown. We never display who owns or operates a private aircraft.

Coverage depends on the public flight data we receive. Private aircraft flying VFR, without an IFR flight plan, often do not appear in flight-plan data, and they show up only when they can be seen through ADS-B. A private aircraft may therefore be missing, appear late, or disappear and reappear. Aircraft on the LADD block list are never shown.

Private and business aircraft are not in the free tracker. Gold members can follow a private aircraft by tail number, and the tracker shows the ones we receive live tracking for, so some flights may not appear. Aircraft on the FAA LADD block list, and aircraft whose owners have asked to be blocked, are never shown, and military aircraft are never shown. We never display who owns an aircraft. See Membership.

There are two uses. When you are riding an airline as a passenger or deadheading, look up the flight in the tracker and follow it, with the airport information, weather and lounges around it. When you are positioning your own aircraft, Gold members can search for it by tail number and follow it, as long as it appears in the live tracking we receive; a VFR flight without flight following may not. This is for keeping track of flights only, not for flight planning or navigation. See Membership.

We use public flight data, which is strongest for flights in the United States. Positions are updated regularly but are never exactly live, so a flight can be shown a little behind where it really is. Always rely on your airline for official departure, gate and arrival information.

Coverage is best for airline flights in the United States. Flights elsewhere may have fewer details or may not appear at all.

Please contact us with the flight number, the date and what looked wrong. Public flight data can be late or incomplete, so check with the airline too.

Owners can ask the FAA to add an aircraft to the LADD block list, and we honor that list. If you need help or think an aircraft is shown by mistake, contact us, and please do not send owner or registration records.