A direct flight in the
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...
industry is any
flight
Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...
between two points by an
airline
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...
with no change in
flight number
In the aviation industry, a flight number or flight designator is a code for an airline service consisting of two-character airline designator and a 1 to 4 digit number. For example, "BA 98" is a British Airways service from Toronto-Pearson to ...
s, which may include one or more
stops at an intermediate point(s). A stop may either be to get new passengers (or allow some to disembark) or a
technical stop over (''i.e.'', for refuelling). Direct flights are often confused with
non-stop flight
A non-stop flight is a flight by an aircraft with no intermediate stops.
History
During the early age of aviation industry when aircraft range was limited, most flights were served in the form of milk run, aka there were many stops along ...
s, which are a special case of direct flights involving no intermediate stops.
When there is a change in flight number, the subsequent flight is referred to as a connecting flight.
General aspects
The term "direct flight" is not legally defined in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
but since the 1970s the ''Official Airline Guides'' have defined the term simply as a flight(s) with a single flight number.
(In earlier years "direct" in the OAG did mean "no plane change".) While so-called "direct" flights may thus involve changes in
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
(a "
change of gauge
Gauge conversion is the changing of one railway track gauge (the distance between the running rails) to another.
Sleepers
If tracks are converted to a narrower gauge, the existing railroad tie, sleepers (ties) may be used. However, replacement ...
"), or even airline
at the intermediate point, they are typically—but not always—differentiated from "connecting flights" in that the airline will enforce a dependency between multiple legs of the flight, so that leg two cannot operate if leg one has failed to arrive at the departure airport. Direct flights involving aircraft changes typically change to planes at adjoining or nearby gates.
Airlines, airports, and security authorities in a particular country enforce different policies on whether passengers may stay on the aircraft on routes which do not involve a change of aircraft. For example, flights that require stopover merely for refuelling usually do not permit passengers to disembark from the aircraft. On the other hand, flights where there is a change of aircraft (change of gauge) may require that passengers disembark and stay at a holding area for security reasons and a proper headcount. In relation to this, a direct flight with stopovers may or may not involve a change in the flight crew.
Airlines may also market connections to a consolidation
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
, usually an
airline hub
An airline hub or hub airport is an airport used by one or more airlines to concentrate passenger traffic and flight operations. Hubs serve as transfer (or stop-over) points to help get passengers to their final destination. It is part of the ...
, where the continuation of the flight from multiple aircraft is to a single aircraft listed under several flight numbers. Unlike traditional direct flights, multiple legs of such 'direct' flight actually operate as individual/independent legs, such that the latter leg can operate without any dependency or consideration of the former leg. In other words, the flight that comprises the latter leg can depart even if the flight that comprised the former leg failed to arrive.
See also
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Commercial aviation
Commercial aviation is the part of civil aviation that involves operating aircraft for remuneration or hire, as opposed to private aviation.
Definition
Commercial aviation is not a rigorously defined category. All commercial air transport and ae ...
*
Domestic flight
A domestic flight is a form of commercial flight within civil aviation where the departure and the arrival take place in the same country.
Airports serving domestic flights only are known as domestic airports.
Domestic flights are generally c ...
*
Mainline
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Direct Flight
Civil aviation