On the ground, airline dispatchers ensure that all airline flights under their supervision operate safely and efficiently. Weather conditions, fuel consumption, personnel requirements, and air traffic are all factors that an airline dispatcher must consider when planning a flight. The pilot, with whom the airline dispatcher may share joint legal responsibility for the flight, then approves the flight plan. The requirement that pilots collaborate with airline dispatchers is intended to improve safety incorporating checks and balances into the flight system.
An airline dispatcher’s day usually starts with a check of the weather, satellite images, and other information about issues affecting that day’s flights. Once the dispatcher is familiar with the current flying conditions, the person they are filling in for informs them of the current flights in the air. The rest of the day is usually spent monitoring and communicating with flights, keeping up with weather updates, and signing off on flights that the dispatcher has scheduled. A dispatcher has the authority to change flight plans diverting, delaying, canceling, or otherwise. Because of his or her powerful and important role in the plane’s flight, the airline dispatcher is often referred to as the plane’s “captain on the ground.”
An airline dispatcher is not required on every flight, and many supplemental carriers use what is known as a flight follower. A flight follower is not required to obtain a license and does not share legal responsibility for the flight’s safety with the pilot. Furthermore, while most countries employ licensed airline dispatchers in some capacity, the licensing requirements differ slightly from country to country. Some dispatchers are not licensed, but the majority follow international regulations to keep planes safe.
A licensed airline dispatcher in the United States is expected to have aviation knowledge equivalent to that of a pilot, as well as extensive meteorology experience. Because this is a licensed position, there are a variety of airline dispatcher training programs that teach you exactly what you need to know. The FAA Aircraft Dispatcher Exam (ADX), which has a written, practical, and oral component, usually marks the end of a training program. This exam includes aviation knowledge questions, flight plan creation, and oral questions about specific dispatching issues. These stringent licensing procedures were put in place to ensure that airline dispatchers are knowledgeable and qualified to keep a plane safe.