Flightradar24

What it does

A live map fed by a volunteer network of ADS-B receivers plus satellite data, where clicking any aircraft gives the route, altitude, speed, aircraft type and the specific airframe's recent history. The practical use is checking whether the inbound aircraft for your flight has even left yet, which is usually an hour ahead of the departure board. Coverage is excellent over Europe and North America and thinner over oceans and parts of Africa and Asia.

Best for

• Knowing a delay before the airline says so
• Identifying the plane overhead

Where it stops