Airline flight plans

I took an AA flight from SAN to ORD Tuesday that looped up through
Utah and Wyoming, maybe to catch strong upper winds. But I got to
wondering how airline flight plans get planned. Does the pilot do
this, or the airline?

I presume that ATC overrides theirs as they do mine from time to time,
though the airlines probably have a better idea of what's likely to be
approved.

If you want to see the route, you can find it on Flightaware, AA1484,
Feb 20.

The dispatcher and the captain must both sign off on the flight plan.

Bob Gardner

"paul kgyy" <phkmn2000m> wrote in message
news:1172157505.859979.301470@l53g2000cwa. o...
>I took an AA flight from SAN to ORD Tuesday that looped up through
> Utah and Wyoming, maybe to catch strong upper winds. But I got to
> wondering how airline flight plans get planned. Does the pilot do
> this, or the airline?
>
> I presume that ATC overrides theirs as they do mine from time to time,
> though the airlines probably have a better idea of what's likely to be
> approved.
>
> If you want to see the route, you can find it on Flightaware, AA1484,
> Feb 20.
>

Bob Gardner wrote:
> The dispatcher and the captain must both sign off on the flight plan.

True, but it has been years since flight-crews routinely plan or file
flight plan.

The dispatcher doesn't get involved either unless a weather flag comes
up on the computer-generated minimum time route.

Chances are the OP's flight went north early on to pick up the jet stream.

Well....I did take my ATP written in 1977....

Bob

"Sam Spade" <sam@coldmail.com> wrote in message
news:2SoDh.7076$AU.462@newsfe07.phx...
> Bob Gardner wrote:
>> The dispatcher and the captain must both sign off on the flight plan.
>
> True, but it has been years since flight-crews routinely plan or file
> flight plan.
>
> The dispatcher doesn't get involved either unless a weather flag comes up
> on the computer-generated minimum time route.
>
> Chances are the OP's flight went north early on to pick up the jet stream.

Bob Gardner wrote:
> Well....I did take my ATP written in 1977....

The FAA, as usual, was behind the times. All the majors were on
computer flight plans by the early 1970s. I can attest that at TWA they
were all done by hand by the flight crew until about 1970.

The test writers in OKC, bless their pointy little heads, seem always to be
ten to twenty years behind reality. Knowledge exams still use the
black-and-white weather charts that the NWS and NOAA have banished to the
cellar in favor of color graphics, and they are striving to dump them
entirely. I would guess that it is the FAA that keeps them from doing so.
Thus the many plaintive posts "Where can I find weather charts like those in
my study material???"

Bob

"Sam Spade" <sam@coldmail.com> wrote in message
news:vBpDh.40926$1H5.8896@newsfe16.phx...
> Bob Gardner wrote:
>> Well....I did take my ATP written in 1977....
>
> The FAA, as usual, was behind the times. All the majors were on computer
> flight plans by the early 1970s. I can attest that at TWA they were all
> done by hand by the flight crew until about 1970.

Most airline flights are "canned" pre-planned by dispatchers
and computer to get best time and fuel burn. They will be
modified to account for weather, traffic and the pilot has
limited input to planning, although the pilot in command can
modify some parts of the flight plan.
Once in flight, the PIC can request any route that is
needed.


"paul kgyy" <phkmn2000m> wrote in message
news:1172157505.859979.301470@l53g2000cwa. o...
|I took an AA flight from SAN to ORD Tuesday that looped up
through
| Utah and Wyoming, maybe to catch strong upper winds. But
I got to
| wondering how airline flight plans get planned. Does the
pilot do
| this, or the airline?
|
| I presume that ATC overrides theirs as they do mine from
time to time,
| though the airlines probably have a better idea of what's
likely to be
| approved.
|
| If you want to see the route, you can find it on
Flightaware, AA1484,
| Feb 20.
|