Dispatch and flight following

This chapter explores the world of dispatch and flight following as it pertains to airline operations, primarily from a US perspective. The Flight Dispatcher is responsible for monitoring the progress of each flight, issuing necessary information for the safety of the flight, and cancelling or re-dispatching the flight if, in the opinion of the Flight Dispatcher or the Captain, the flight cannot operate or continue to operate safely as planned. Planned re-dispatch is flight planning to an intermediate destination with a plan to recalculate fuel required while en route to allow the flight to continue on to the final destination. Flights under planned re-dispatch essentially operate with two flight plans. The first is the original flight plan from origin departure airport to the intermediate destination airport, and the second flight plan is from a re-dispatch fix or waypoint to the final destination airport.