Old World flying comes when Cata launches, but I feel your pain. It's very confusing. At some point in the last couple of weeks someone should have made a handy FAQ chart of some sort that could just be linked to the front page. Old World Flying? Next column. Dec. 7. Existing races but new classes? Next column. 4.0.3a etc.

The shattering is Cataclysm basically. You just can't get into the new zones yet. The old zones will be all destroyed and shiny though which is awesome. IIRC the azeroth navigation or whatever azeroth flying is costs like 200 gold or something stupid cheap but is only available if you purchase Cataclysm. So technically flying will be enabled in the old world but if they stick with that way of doing things you won't be able to fly until you actually upgrade to Cataclysm.

I'm too lazy to look up the original post, someone feel free to link it if you can find it. But here's the rundown and I don't think it's changed too much since it was posted back in mid-September:

Patch 4.0.1 will launch several weeks before Cataclysm ships, similar to 2.0.1 and 3.0.2. It will include:

- New launcher
- Class changes
- Stat changes
- Currency changes
- Talent tree overhaul
- Glyph changes
- Reforging
- Mastery (although it might not be useful until Cataclysm)
- Mount speeds scale up, including 310% flying if you already have one

Patch 4.0.3 will launch shortly before Cataclysm ships. Based on what Tom Chilton and others have said, this will include (without purchase of Cataclysm):

- Cataclysm intro cinematic and login screen
- Revamped classic Eastern Kingdom and Kalimdor zones
- New race/class combinations for existing races
- Graphics improvements (water, etc)

Cataclysm will ship shortly afterward and buying it will unlock:

- Level 85 level cap
- 525 Profession skill caps
- Goblins and Worgen, and their starter zones
- New Level 80+ zones, dungeons, heroics, raids
- New battlegrounds
- Rated battlegrounds
- Flying mounts in Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor
- Archaeology
- 310% speed flying skill for purchase
- Guild leveling system

I would read 4.0.3 as 4.0.3a now. Looking it over a few things have been shuffled (purchase of 310% flying speed, lack of loading screen), but the major points remain as stated.

@Aris: 310% speed flying skill is already available for purchase.

Yea, I that's what I was saying at the bottom about some minor shuffling. The post is just a copy paste from one back on Sep 14 (I posted it on my guild site. Zharym confirmed the sequence of events at that time).

One thing I'd like to know is, will we be able to fly in the Blood Elf and Draenei starting zones? These are technically located in the Burning Crusade world maps. Will these be the only non-flyable zones in all of WoW?