FLIGHT PHASES

Sign-in to Cruise 

  1. Flight crew sign in - crew members are required to sign in at the airport flight operations office (nominally) 1 hour prior to the departure of the first leg. Crews arrive earlier.

  •  Cabin crew attend the briefing session with the chief  purser. Planning task

  • pre-flight briefing 


  1. Operations/Planning - best routing (min. Time, min. Fuel, ride conditions). Flight plan accounting for aircraft type, forecast weather conditions, and other constraints and limitations. 

  • The flight plan is printed out and its details are examined by incoming cockpit crew 


  1. Pre-flight - cockpit crew performs an exterior walk around examination. 

  • Cockpit setup and system checks. 

  • Cabin crew performs the in-flight inspection and galley preparation 

  • Communication between the cockpit and cabin crew members is critical to the safety and efficiency of the flight 

  • The crew must determine the airworthiness of the aircraft 

  • Pre-flight - interior and exterior inspections of the aircrafts or any activity involved with preparing the aircraft for departure 

  • Pre-flight inspections are outlined in a checklist format 


  1. Pre-departure - boarding the passengers 

  • Closing aircraft door 

  • Completing the baggage and cargo loading 

  • “Prior to push-back” portion of the checklist 

  • Arming the escape slide mechanism, of the entry doors

  • As the scheduled departure time approaches, the captain, lead agent and ground crew chief coordinated their efforts to see that all pre-departure requirements are met

  • Pilots finalize Flight Management System (FMS) 


  1. Gate departure - removing the wheel chocks and releasing the parking brake 

  • Starting engine 

  • Receiving a confirmation of ramp clear 

  • Beginning taki-out 

  • Clear left and clear right 


  1. Taxi-out - calculating finalized take-off performance data 

  • Resetting stabilizer trim and set take-off references speeds through the bugs on the airspeed indicators 

  • Making a departure PA announcement to inform the flight attendants that the take-off is imminent 

  • Incase of a pushback, permission must be received from controlling authority 

  • Fist officer contacts the ground to get taxi clearance 

  • Once closeout information is processed, the cre completes the taxi and before take-off checklist 

  • Captain announcement that take-off is imminent 


  1. Takeoff - position and hold clearance to an aircraft in preparation for final take-off clearance 

  • Making final checks of the wind/weather and the presence of runway contamination 


  1. Terminal area departure - aircraft is accelerated to maximum low-attitude climb speed, after the immediate airport traffic area is cleared 

  • Flight attendants typically commence their in-flight service duties during climb-out 

  • The climb flight profile is determined by both ATC/airspace requirements, and performance characteristics which may be aircraft-specific

  • 250 knots below 10,000 feet (accelerated) 

  • Aircraft climbs through approximately 1500 feet above ground level (AGL), the FAs are notified by a chime 


  1. Climb - dynamics of the flight environment require continues monitoring

  • Cockpit crew checks the FMS and performance charts 

  • As the aircraft climbs through the transition altitude, the crew resets their altimeter 

  • Passenger-related activities during the climb including meal and beverage services, any PA announcements and entertainment systems 

  • Captain makes a PA describing en route flight time and weather conditions, eta, destination weather 


  1. Cruise - maintaining a time/fuel log in order to compare planned time and fuel burn performance 

  • On international flights, transitioning through airspace boundaries under the jurisdiction of other national sovereignty may require supplementary procedures 

  • Flight Information Region (FIR) boundaries normally require advance notification via the flight planning process 

  • The crew performs various administrative duties in preparation for descent


Descent to Post-Flight 

  1. Descent - beginning the approach and landing preparations 

  • Transmitting an “in range” message to the destination airport station 

  • Setting up the navigation equipment for the expected arrival

  • Cabin crew activities for descending 

  • 30-40 minutes 

  • Touch down estimate 

  • Tow in only 


  1. Terminal Area Arrival - begins when the aircraft descent below 10,000 feet about 30-40 miles from the destination airport 

  • Being issued additional real-time landing information or instructions 

  • Braking action reports are given by previous arrivals


  1. Final approach - if the runway is in sight and clear of obstruction at the decision point, the cockpit crew continues the descent until initiating the landing “flare” manoeuvre


  1. Landing and Rollout - using a combination of reverse thrust, ground spoilers and wheel braking to decelerate to taxi speed and vacate the runway after touching down on the runway 

  • After touching down the runway, the PF uses reverse thrust 

  1. Taxi in - pilots use taxiway diagrams of the destination airport to assist in the execution of taxi clearances 

  • Once brakes are parked, agent moves the jet bridge into position at the entry door, or in the case of airstair, it is positioned under exit doors 

  • Instructions given by ATC 

  • Marshaller uses wand signals to direct and stop the aircraft at desired location 

  1. Parking - verifying the disarming of the doors with the flight attendants and opening the designated exit doors 

  • Unloading and processing the baggage and freight 

  • Parking brake and opening cabin door trigger the “IN” event 

  • IN time is used to determine a number of metrics including the length of flight

  1. Post-Flight - cockpit crew accomplishes any required debriefing reports 

  • Flight attendant make liquor and duty free deposit 

  • Turned around