I confess to being somewhat the anorak with this stuff. Having bits posted from overseas frequently, I love to not only follow the carrier's tracking updates but also (when it can be deduced) the flights as well.
There's something soothing yet exciting, about watching a little graphic of a plane moving along the dotted flight path, more or less one pixel at a time.

Probably a bit like watching goldfish; everything is under control but it's still somehow absorbing...