I log every flight I take. To manage airport conquest records and airline boarding history, I’ve organized the data into 34 fields across five blocks.
Rail log is here; hotel log is here.
1. Basic Information (7 fields)
| Field | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cumulative flight number | 83 | Total flights taken |
| Airline | ANA | ICAO code (3 letters) |
| Flight number | 13 | |
| Flight duration | 70 | Difference between departure and arrival (minutes) |
| Distance | 311 | Great-circle distance between origin and destination (miles) |
| Operating carrier | ANA | ICAO code |
| Codeshare flight number | (LH4948) | If boarded as a codeshare |
ICAO airline codes are three-letter codes assigned by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). All Nippon Airways is ANA, Japan Airlines is JAL, Solaseed Air is SNJ, etc. Full list here.
Flight duration is calculated as the difference between departure and arrival times, which handles time zone changes on international flights. Distance is the great-circle distance between origin and destination, not the actual flight path.
2. Departure Information (7 fields)
| Field | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Departure airport | RJTT | ICAO code |
| Scheduled departure (STD) | 2021-11-21 07:00:00+09:00 | Local time |
| Actual departure (ATD) | 2021-11-21 07:03:00+09:00 | Local time; when the aircraft begins to move |
| Terminal | 2 | |
| Gate | 65 | Boarding gate number |
| Spot | 65 | Parking stand number |
| Departure runway | 05 |
ICAO airport codes are four letters: Haneda is RJTT, Itami is RJOO, JFK is KJFK, etc. Full list here.
Gate and spot numbers are often the same at large airports, but they differ when boarding by bus. Spot numbers are posted near the parking stand and can also be read from airport charts.
3. Arrival Information (7 fields)
| Field | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival airport | RJOO | ICAO code |
| Scheduled arrival (STA) | 2021-11-21 08:10:00+09:00 | Local time |
| Actual arrival (ATA) | 2021-11-21 08:08:00+09:00 | Local time |
| Terminal | South | |
| Gate | 9 | |
| Spot | 9 | |
| Arrival runway | 32L |
Same structure as departure information.
4. Aircraft Information (3 fields)
| Field | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft type code | B763 | ICAO type designator |
| Aircraft type name | B767-381 (ER) | Detailed type name |
| Registration | JA608A | Aircraft registration number |
ICAO type designators can be found here. Boeing 787-9 is B789, Airbus 320 is A320 — intuitive in most cases. However, distinctions like B767-300 vs. B767-300 (ER) cannot be captured by the ICAO code alone, which is why the detailed type name is recorded separately.
5. Seat and Service Information (10 fields)
| Field | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Seat number | 10A | |
| Seat position | W | W = window, M = middle, A = aisle |
| Cabin class | Y | Y = economy, P = premium economy, C = business, F = first |
| Purpose | L | L = leisure, B = business |
| Fare class | VV01J | |
| Fare | 11950 | |
| Currency | JPY | ISO 4217 currency code |
| SEQ code | 100 | Check-in sequence number |
| Barcode | M1 SORA/TARO … | String read from boarding pass barcode |
| Notes | Free text |
Fields to Record On-Site
Most of the 34 fields can be confirmed later from booking emails or boarding passes. The following should be recorded on-site:
| Timing | Fields |
|---|---|
| At departure | Gate, spot |
| After boarding | Registration, departure runway |
| At arrival | Gate, spot, arrival runway |
| After arrival | Actual departure time, actual arrival time |
Registration can sometimes be confirmed later via Flightradar24, but in rare cases the flight number and registration don’t match — recording it at the time of boarding is the safest approach.