Times

UTC and local time

Every time in the programs and on the schedule is in UTC, also called Zulu, written as four digits and a Z: 0715Z is a quarter past seven UTC. Times local to an airport end in L, as in 0815L.

On the schedule, a time on a later or earlier date than the flight’s departure in UTC carries +1 or −1.

Block time

The time from pushing back at the gate to arriving on stand at the other end. It’s worked out from the distance and the aircraft type’s cruising speed, so a slower type has longer block times, plus the time taxiing between the gate and the runway at each end. Taxiing takes longer at bigger airports: a few minutes at a small field, and a quarter of an hour or more at the biggest hubs. Pointing at a block time in the route manager shows the taxi times it includes.

Late flights on the schedule

A flight due off that hasn’t left yet has a striped start. Once it’s late, a striped tail runs out to when it’s now expected in, with that time (≈1509Z). After it lands, its block moves to the times it actually flew, over a faint outline of where it was planned.

Turnaround

The time on the ground between arriving and leaving again, to unload, clean, refuel and board. An aircraft needs at least 25 minutes; your preferred turnaround is set in the slots program.