Log in Sign up

Help centre · For pilots

Replying to staff about a PIREP

Every PIREP has a private comment thread between you and your airline's staff. This article shows how to answer a question from staff, and how to ask them about a flight yourself.

Answering a question from staff

If your airline has turned on Review tools, staff can ask you something before they accept or reject a flight. When they do:

  • The PIREP's status changes to waiting for pilot.
  • Your airline's Dashboard shows "Staff asked about" your flight number, with a reply-by date and a Reply button.
  • You get an email called "Question about your PIREP", with a link to the flight.

To answer:

  1. On your airline's Dashboard, press Reply next to the question. You can also open the flight from Flight Centre → My PIREPs.
  2. Scroll down to the Comments card. The question from staff is there, marked staff.
  3. Type your answer in Add a comment.
  4. Press Send.

You'll see "Reply sent: your PIREP is back with staff for review." The PIREP goes back to the review queue with your answer, and staff decide from there.

Answer on the website. Replying to the email itself doesn't add a comment to the PIREP.

How long you have

You have 5 days to reply. The date is shown on the dashboard and at the top of the PIREP. If you don't answer in time, the PIREP goes back to the review queue anyway, with a note that you didn't reply, and staff decide without your answer.

When you can't fly until you answer

If your airline has turned on Unanswered questions block flying, you can't book or start a flight at that airline while staff are waiting for your reply. The error message tells you which PIREP to answer. Reply, and you can fly again straight away. This only affects the airline that asked, not other airlines you fly for.

Asking staff about a flight

You can comment on any of your own PIREPs at any time, for example to explain something that happened or to ask why a flight was rejected.

  1. Open the PIREP from Flight Centre → My PIREPs.
  2. In the Comments card, write your message in Add a comment.
  3. Press Send.

Staff who can review PIREPs, and the airline's owner, get an email with your message. When a staff member answers, you get an email called "Staff replied on your PIREP", with a link back to the thread.

Only you and your airline's staff can see these comments. Other pilots can't.

When a comment sends a flight back to review

If your airline has turned on Pilot comments send a PIREP to review, a comment on a flight that was already accepted, completed, rejected or invalidated sends it back to the review queue. This only works within a few days of filing: your airline chooses how many (7 unless they changed it). The message after you press Send tells you when this has happened.

Notes you typed in ACARS when filing don't count. Only comments on the website do.

A few tips

  • Keep it short and specific: which phase of flight, what went wrong, and what you'd like staff to look at.
  • A comment can be up to 2,000 characters.
  • Comments can't be edited or deleted after you send them, so check before pressing Send.
  • Emails about new comments can be switched off on your Profile under Emails ("Comments on PIREPs"). Questions from staff and decisions on your flights always come.

To learn what each status means, see What the PIREP statuses mean.

Was this helpful?