Overview
A flight dispatcher, also known as an airline dispatcher or flight operations officer, helps plan flight paths by taking into account aircraft performance, loading, en-route winds, thunderstorm and turbulence forecasts, airspace restrictions, and airport conditions. Dispatchers also provide flight-following services during a flight and advise pilots if conditions change en route, typically working from an airline's operations center rather than on board the aircraft. In the United States and Canada, flight dispatchers share legal responsibility for a flight with its captain under what's known as a joint responsibility dispatch system, giving them authority to divert, delay, or cancel flights as part of their operational control duties. This shared-responsibility model distinguishes North American dispatching from some other countries, where the role may carry more advisory, less legally binding authority.
History
The flight dispatcher role developed alongside early scheduled airline operations in the 1920s and 1930s, as airlines needed dedicated staff to plan routes around weather, aircraft performance, and airspace conditions. The joint responsibility dispatch system used in the United States and Canada, which gives dispatchers shared legal authority over flight decisions alongside the captain, was formalized as US commercial aviation regulation matured through the mid-20th century. This shared-responsibility model has remained a distinguishing feature of North American dispatching compared to many other countries, where the role has historically carried more advisory authority.
Design & Specifications
Dispatchers work from an airline's operations center using flight planning software incorporating weather, aircraft performance, and airspace data to build each flight's route.
Operations
Dispatchers monitor flights in progress, providing updated weather and routing information to crews and, in the US and Canada, sharing legal authority with the captain over flight decisions.
See also
References
| Category | Aviation Personnel |
| Type | Flight operations profession |
| Also Called | Airline dispatcher |
| US/Canada Model | Joint responsibility w/ captain |
| Key Task | Route & weather planning |