Repetitive Flight Plan

The flight plan may be filed before the day of operation. The RPL (repetitive flight plan) system allows filing of scheduled operation in advance. It is common practice for large commercial operators to file a season’s scheduled operations in this manner. Any changes to the filed information must be advised to the relevant ATS units.

On the day, flight plans or associated messages are normally filed via the ATS Reporting Office (ARO), or directly with IFPS. Associated messages include operators’ CNL (Cancellation), CHG (Change) and DLA (Delay) messages. All such messages must be submitted using predefined formats. The flight plan must be acknowledged by IFPS before the flight may depart. ACK (Acknowledgment), or REJ (Rejection) messages are returned by IFPS.

When accepted as correct, the flight plan is passed to the Computer Assisted Slot Allocation System (CASA). The Central Flow Management Unit (CFMU) then issues a slot or Calculated Takeoff Time (CTOT) at which the aircraft may depart. This slot time is calculated to facilitate the earliest departure time on the filed route with minimum en route delay. Sometimes restrictions apply to the flow of traffic due to congestion or poor weather conditions en route, or at particular airports, which may necessarily cause departure delays, but the object is to minimize these delays and to hold the aircraft, in so far as possible, on the ground rather than in the air.

Messages are normally transmitted to IFPS using AFTN, SITA or ARINС.

Answer the questions:

1. What does the repetitive flight plan system allow?

2. Does it concern only scheduled operations?

3. What is common for large commercial operators?

4. How are normally the flight plans filed?

5. What do the associated messages include?

6. Who must the flight plan be acknowledged by and when?

7. Where is the flight plan passed in case it is considered correct?

8. Who issues a slot or calculated takeoff time concerning the particular flight?

9. What for is the slot time calculated?

10. When are the restrictions applied to the flow of traffic?

11. How are messages transmitted to IFPS?

TEXT 18

Passenger Check In and Boarding

With all of the distractions available to the traveller, it is very easy to lose track of time. The traveller should be aware of the location of the boarding gate and the boarding time printed on the boarding pass. He should listen carefully to the PA announcements made regularly in the departure area. These give information about flight departures. An eye should be kept on the TV monitors in the departure area which also provide information to the traveller.

When boarding is announced, passengers should gather their hand baggage, duty-free purchases and other belongings and proceed immediately to their departure gate. Boarding passes should be ready for inspection. For convenience, passengers are usually boarded by seat number, starting at the back of the aircraft. This helps reduce congestion in the aircraft aisles. Passengers then proceed down the jetway to the aircraft where they are greeted by members of the cabin crew, their boarding passes again inspected (passengers have been known to board the wrong flight) and directed to their seats.

Having located their seats, passengers should place their baggage, coats and other possessions in the overhead luggage bins or in the space provided under the seat in front. Bags must not be placed on seats, in the aisles or where they might obstruct doors or over-wing exits.

Passengers should familiarize themselves at this point with emergency procedures, the location of emergency equipment, and all exits, especially those nearest one’s seat, listen to the Cabin Crew announcements and read the Emergency Leaflet usually found in the seat pocket in the back of the seat in front, note the location of the life-jacket and how the emergency over-wing exit is opened, especially when sitting beside it.

Answer the questions:

1. Why is it easy for the passengers to lose track of time while being at the airport?

2. What should the traveller be aware of?

3. What should he listen carefully to?

4. What should the passenger keep an eye on?

5. What should the passenger do after his flight has been announced?

6. What should be ready for inspection?

7. How are the passengers usually boarded for convenience?

8. How can the passengers get to the aircraft?

9. Who is the first to greet them on board the plane?

10. Why are the passengers’ boarding passes inspected again?

11. Where are the passengers directed to then?

12. Where should the passengers place their luggage?

13. Where mustn’t bags be placed? Why so?

14. What should the passengers familiarize with?

15. Where are the Emergency Leaflets usually found?