Many complex systems undergo critical transitions. A thermoacoustic system is one such system which exhibits a catastrophic transition to a state of oscillatory instability known as thermoacoustic instability. So far, several early warning signals have been devised to detect the transition from stable operation to thermoacoustic instability in both laminar and turbulent systems. We focus on these early warning signals, and the challenges faced while detecting oscillatory instabilities in practical systems. In contrast to the transition from a fixed point to limit cycle oscillations in laminar systems, turbulent systems exhibit a transition from a chaotic state to limit cycle via a state of intermittency. In this review, we highlight the importance of the inherent fluctuations in the system in providing early warning signals for critical transitions. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.