Flight Itinerary

A flight itinerary is a document filed by a pilot planning a VFR flight that includes details of the planned route, the aircraft, persons on board, and a responsible person to contact if the aircraft becomes overdue. Unlike a formal flight plan, a flight itinerary is left with a trusted person on the ground rather than filed with ATC/FIC.

Flight Itinerary vs. Flight Plan

• Flight plan: Filed with NAV CANADA (FIC); activates alerting service; ATC/FIC monitors and initiates SAR if overdue
• Flight itinerary: Left with a responsible person on the ground; that person initiates SAR if the pilot does not check in by an agreed time

When to Use Each

File a flight plan for any cross-country flight where ATC alerting service is desired. Leave a flight itinerary for local area flights or situations where filing a formal plan is impractical. A responsible person holding a detailed itinerary is far better protection than nothing, but it is not a substitute for the more robust ATC-managed alerting service activated by a filed flight plan.

Related Terms

See also: Flight Plan/Notification, Alerting Service, Arrival Report.