Regularguy

Two subjects to comment on:

My comments are based on using both the old and the new flight plans and maintenance logs at LUAL

1. "The paper logbook. It makes it easy to look back if there is a history of write ups on something specific. "

When we went to the electronic log books we gained a print out in "Flight Operations" read during the planning stage which had a lengthy list, larger than the old log coupons, of both the old write ups and the long-term deferred items. Mucho better than the old way and is normally the first thing my F/Os look at when planning.

2. When UAL first started using Sabre it saved approximately 3% of fuel over the older Unimatic international plans. I have no idea if it saves over the Phoenix system of planning. What it does do is standardize the flight planning process over all the fleets.

I have flown with it on the 757 domestically and the only things I didn't like was not being able to get a flight plan over ACARS and there was too many waypoints on a two hour flight plan. I loved the days of the short simple one hour or less flight plans we used to used domestically.

Regularguy

BTW - I now fly the Whale (747-400 for those of you who hate pet names) and the Sabre flight plan is very good, but the dispatcher is the key to how good a plan I get. By itself Sabre primarily looks for the least cost route.

Flytolive

I think you forgot the smiley face, right?