there is no point like flipping a coin just because it came down heads 8 times in a row its still only 50% chance of it happening again, aircraft can go tech at any time ,weather conditions [wind speed/direction or skirting storms] on the previous flight can cause delays [or worse still missing passengers or the one i had last year returning to the gate to off load a woman having a panic attack [and her baggage]

the best guide I'm my opinion is the overall performance of a company not the one offs

wizard

No point?
Gee thanks a lot!!!

So if I can see the day that I go that the plane I am travelling on touched down at Birminham airport on time and now has 3 hours to get itself ready for MY flight there is NO POINT!!!

Ok obviously a delay last week doesn't mean a delay this week but if the last two or three weeks there has been a delay from Palma, for example, then Maybe, just maybe I might prepare myself for a delay??? At least if I can see that my plane has landed at the airport I'm leaving from on time on the day I go then I KNOW that it's not stuck at Palma airport!!!

I check a few things the day before such as whether there are any major delays for the airline as this may point to knock on effects, and I too try and figure out which sector the aircraft will operate before mine so i can check that later, but given that a delay to one aircraft can result in aircraft swapping and all sorts of knock ons, i accept it's not really going to tell me much!!

Prime example, we went to Cyprus mid june, i checked BHX website day before and all good. I checked all TCX flights and all good. I checked the inbound aircraft from IBZ had departed on time and it had. We got to the airport and checked in on time, we got called to the gate on time, the bags were loaded and we were about to board............BUT......engineers were checking the aircraft near the radome and within 5 mins of departure time we were told there was a delay and to return to departure lounge and to await more info. This was 8.30am... we took off at about 3pm (on a different aircraft that had been swapped over elsewhere), it turned out that the inbound had been struck by lightening on it's way into BHX.

bummer, I know what you mean. But if you already know that your plane hasn't even left it's previous destination then you know you'll be in for a delay!

Indeed, we'd checked in at about 6.30am, so 8 or so hours at BHX!! But i'll still carry on checking... it's not that you will ever know for certain that you're going to go on time but you can sometimes prepare yourself mentally for a delay!

I remember having a 7 hour delay at Manchester. It was supposed to leave at about 10 pm but ended up about 5am. It was terrible, especially with a three year old! Thing is we checked in fine, not a word and then as soon as we were through the other side there it was on the board!

That sounds awful.. we've only had one night flight with a delay and it was bad enough with just me & girlfriend.. can't imagine how it would be with a toddler!

I think itcan be a fun & interesting way of spending a few hours... sometimes it's easier - there is only one RyanAir flight into Toulon so I guess if it is not in then the afternoon return won't take place LOL. Planes do go tech and need to swapped around - Air France's 19:00 from Orly to London City goes Tech if there are only 10 passengers for it - we all go onto the 22:00 flight...

Early morning flights are the worst - often the airlines need to fly pre-positioning flights, but shuttle flights London-Machester can build up delays throughout the day.

You still need to be there the regulation 1 hour early to check in and wait in the lounge - so the game is achedemic - but you might be able to manage your expectations better. Or your beer intake

I sometimes check while I am in my holiday resort if my plane has left the uk and this prepares you for an extra long wait at the foreign airports, I know this sounds very sad but there is nothing worse than arriving at the airport and being told your plane is delayed.

yea i check mine, only cos im sad and nosey just to see if the flight im gonna be on has left on time then im like...ooo in ... many weeks that will be me,
tomorrow i will be checking again for the flight i will be on the following week, i know theres no point really as every week it could be different but i enjoy checking out the flights

Yes Chivas I do, not such the week before but probably a month before. This is not really to check frequency of late arrivals etc, it's just that I get so excited, that anything to do with holidays, including Gatwick site for flight arrivals, Gatwick site for terminals etc, this is a must for me I know it's sad but hey I get excited.

Nice one folks!

I usually start checking about 3 or 4 weeks before by logging onto:

http://www.flightstats.co.uk/FlightStatus/flightStatusByRoute.do?gclid=CN62m9e40JsCFY4U4wodaCmSK

It is interesting even if it doesn't tell me whether there is a delay on my particular flight

We live on the take off and landing flight path, so if we have booked a holiday I love looking to the skys the weeks leading up to the holiday to see if "our" flights have taken off or landed on time.

Cazz, an acquantance of mine lives near Gatwick and when I went to visit recently there are tons of planes flying over, sad person as I am was quite in awe of it all, only to be looked at as though a 'freak' for finding it all exciting.

Takes all sorts

Not a freak at all. I never get bored and often wonder where they are all travelling too.

I must confess to having one or two looks a few weeks before we fly. Just to see if there have been any delays either coming or going.

As for plane watching - guilty! Even after years of flying, it never ceases to amaze me. Whilst we were in Ibiza this year, we went to the waterpark at Playa D'en Bossa. This was under the flight path to the airport and every time a plane flew over, I just stood there, open mouthed, watching. It was brilliant. Some were so low, you could spot people in the windows.

guilty here too. I will be starting looking this Wednesday

I'm not bothered whether it leaves on time - I keep tabs on whether it arrives on time, that's where a delay can cause problems. A mate of mine flew to Charleroi last night and had a tight connection with the last shuttle bus into Brussels (fool!), he was 13 minutes late taking off but landed on time and that's what counts!