The dispatcher desk

Watch the video: Dispatch

The top of the Dispatch page is the dispatcher desk: every booked flight of your airline in one table, with what needs you first. Open it from Staff → Operations → Dispatch (Staff → Dispatch if Dispatch is the only page you have there). You need the Send dispatch messages to flights and cancel bookings permission.

What the desk shows

Each line is one flight: its number and airports, its callsign, the pilot, and the phase and flight level ACARS reports now (or not flying yet). The Needs you column shows:

• Pilot wrote at 14:05z, not answered: the pilot's last message, on ACARS or Hoppie, has no answer from staff yet.
• Possible diversion: the flight is on approach or has landed more than 25 nm from its arrival airport.
• Late: the flight left more than 15 minutes after its scheduled departure, or is still at the gate that long after it.

Flights that need you come first, then the ones flying, then the rest. Flying now shows only the flights ACARS reports at the moment; All booked shows every booked flight again.

Sending a message

1. Press Message on a flight's line. The page jumps to that flight's messages.
2. Press a Quick text (Welcome, Arrival runway, Gate, Holding, Report fuel, Alternate, Thank you) to fill the box, or write your own. Texts that end open, like "Runway in use at LHBP is", wait for you to finish them.
3. Press Send. ACARS shows the message with its next position report.

The quick texts are in English on purpose: it is the language of the radio, and Hoppie only carries English letters. When your airline has EFB datalink on, you can also tick Also send on Hoppie: see Messaging flights on Hoppie.

Pilots answer from ACARS or their EFB Datalink tab, and the answer shows under the flight. Press Check replies to fetch new Hoppie replies. Every message you send is in the airline's activity log.

Booking or changing a flight for a pilot

Staff with the same permission can book a flight for one of their pilots, or change a pilot's booked flight.

1. Open Book a flight for a pilot under the desk (in All booked).
2. Pick the Pilot and the Flight. The aircraft registration, date and time are optional: empty, the first free aircraft and the flight's next departure are used.
3. Press Book for this pilot.

The pilot's own booking rules apply: one booking at a time, the aircraft of their rank, where they are, crew rest and required reading. A pilot on leave isn't booked. To change a booked flight, open Change this booking on its card: you can change the departure date and time, the aircraft and the callsign until ACARS starts the flight.

The pilot gets a notification each time, and the booking or change goes into the activity log with the old and new values. If the pilot cancels a flight staff booked for them, it doesn't count against their booking reliability.

Cancelling a pilot's booking

Sometimes a booking has to go: the aircraft is needed for an event, the pilot booked the wrong flight and can't be reached, or the flight was left at the gate. Staff with the Send dispatch messages to flights and cancel bookings permission can cancel it for the pilot.

1. On the flight's card, open Cancel this booking.
2. Write the Reason the pilot sees. It is required.
3. Press Cancel booking and confirm.

The aircraft, the flight and any event slot or trip leg can be booked again straight away. The pilot gets a notification with your reason, and their booking page says staff cancelled it. It doesn't count against the pilot's booking reliability, and it goes into the activity log with your reason.

If ACARS is already recording the flight, the page warns you first: ACARS stops and the pilot can't file that flight. Send them a message before, so they know.

You can use the desk in Vaeroly on your phone or computer too: the table scrolls sideways on a small screen.