Dynamic Weather Routes (DWR)

Convective weather systems, i.e., thunderstorms, are the leading cause of flight delay in U.S. airspace. Airline dispatchers must file their flight plans 1 to 2 hours before takeoff, and are often required to incorporate large buffers to forecast weather. Weather changes as flights progress, and airline dispatchers, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) traffic managers, and air traffic controllers are especially busy during weather events. Workable opportunities for more efficient routes around bad weather are often missed, and automation does not exist to help operators determine when weather avoidance routes have become stale and could be updated to reduce delay.