Route Assessment Guide
Understanding how route conditions are evaluated and what the scores mean for your flight.
Overview
The Route Assessment tool analyzes weather conditions along your planned flight path and provides a simple score to help you understand what to expect. It combines real-time pilot reports, weather forecasts, and advisories to give you a clear picture of conditions for your specific route and altitude.
The assessment breaks your flight into three phases - takeoff, cruise, and landing - because conditions can vary significantly at different points along your journey. Each phase gets its own score, and these combine into an overall assessment for your flight.
Flight Phases
Your flight is evaluated in three distinct phases, each with its own geographic area and altitude range:
Takeoff Phase
The takeoff phase covers the area around your departure airport. This includes the climb-out from the runway to your cruising altitude. Weather conditions in this zone can affect your departure experience, including any bumps during the initial climb.
What this means for you: If you see hazards in the takeoff phase, you might experience some turbulence shortly after leaving the ground. Pilots are especially attentive during this critical phase and will adjust their climb profile if needed.
Cruise Phase
The cruise phase is the longest part of your flight, covering the route between the departure and arrival areas. This is when the aircraft is flying at its planned cruising altitude along a corridor between your origin and destination.
What this means for you: Most of your flight time is spent in the cruise phase, so conditions here have the biggest impact on your overall experience. The score for this phase considers how much of your route passes through areas with reported or forecast hazards.
Landing Phase
The landing phase covers the area around your destination airport. This includes the descent from cruising altitude down to the runway. Weather conditions at your arrival airport affect this phase.
What this means for you: Hazards in the landing phase mean you might feel some bumps as you descend toward your destination. This is a normal part of flying, and pilots are trained to handle varying conditions during approach.
How Phases Are Weighted
The overall score is a weighted average of the three phase scores. The weights are calculated based on the actual distance of each phase - so for a long cross-country flight, the cruise phase carries more weight, while for a shorter flight, the takeoff and landing phases have more influence. This ensures the score reflects what you will actually experience based on your specific route.
Form Options Explained
The route form lets you customize the assessment to match your specific flight. Here is what each option does:
Cruise Altitude
The flight level your aircraft will cruise at during the main portion of the flight. Commercial jets typically fly between FL300 (30,000 feet) and FL400 (40,000 feet). Different altitudes can have different weather conditions.
Impact on assessment: The assessment looks for hazards at and around your selected cruise altitude. Turbulence and other conditions often exist at specific altitude ranges, so the altitude you select affects which hazards are relevant to your flight.
Example: If there is turbulence forecast at FL350 but not at FL390, selecting a higher altitude would show a different assessment.
Airport Radius
The size of the circular area around each airport that defines the takeoff and landing phases. This controls how much airspace near the airports is considered when assessing departure and arrival conditions.
Impact on assessment: A larger radius captures more hazards near the airports but may include conditions you will not fly through. A smaller radius focuses on the immediate airport area but might miss relevant nearby weather.
Example: A 50nm radius covers approximately the first 10-15 minutes of flight, while 100nm covers more of the climb and descent.
Corridor Width
The width of the route corridor during the cruise phase. Aircraft do not fly a perfectly straight line - actual routes may deviate slightly due to air traffic control, winds, or weather avoidance.
Impact on assessment: A wider corridor captures hazards that are near but not directly on the route centerline. This gives a more conservative assessment. A narrower corridor shows only hazards very close to the direct route.
Example: A 50nm corridor means hazards within 25nm on either side of your route are considered.
Altitude Buffer
How far above and below your cruise altitude to look for hazards. Pilots may climb or descend to avoid turbulence, so conditions at nearby altitudes are relevant.
Impact on assessment: A larger buffer gives a more complete picture of conditions in your altitude range. A smaller buffer focuses only on hazards very close to your exact cruising level.
Example: With a ±2,000ft buffer at FL350, hazards between FL330 and FL370 would be included.
Understanding Scores
Each phase and the overall route receive a score from 1 to 10. Higher scores mean smoother expected conditions. Here is what each score range means:
Smooth
(Score: 9 - 10)Minimal to no reported or forecast turbulence in this phase. Expect a comfortable flight with little to no noticeable bumps.
What to expect: You can relax and enjoy the flight. Any movement will be barely perceptible.
Light Bumps
(Score: 7 - 8)Some light turbulence reported or forecast. This is very common and nothing to worry about.
What to expect: You might notice occasional gentle bumps, similar to driving over minor road imperfections. Beverage service continues normally.
Bumpy
(Score: 5 - 6)Moderate conditions reported or forecast along portions of the route. The aircraft will handle this without any problems.
What to expect: Expect noticeable bumps during parts of the flight. Flight attendants may pause service temporarily. Keep your seatbelt fastened.
Rough
(Score: 3 - 4)Significant turbulence reported or forecast. Pilots will work to minimize your exposure by changing altitude or route if possible.
What to expect: You will likely feel definite bumps. The fasten seatbelt sign will probably be on for extended periods. The aircraft remains safe.
Very Rough
(Score: 1 - 2)Severe conditions reported or forecast along the route. This is uncommon and pilots take it very seriously.
What to expect: If conditions are this severe, pilots will likely reroute or change altitude significantly. Expect the crew to prioritize safety and comfort.
What Affects Your Score
The assessment considers multiple types of weather information, each contributing differently to the final score:
Pilot Reports (PIREPs)
High impactReal-time reports from pilots who have just flown through an area. These are the most current and accurate source of actual conditions.
SIGMETs
Highest impactSignificant meteorological warnings issued for severe hazards like strong turbulence or thunderstorms. These are taken very seriously by all pilots.
G-AIRMETs
Moderate impactGraphical forecasts for less severe but still significant conditions. These cover broader areas and are updated regularly.
Center Weather Advisories
Moderate impactShort-term forecasts from air traffic control centers about developing conditions. These help identify areas that may become problematic.
Additional Factors Considered
- Severity: More severe conditions have a bigger impact on the score than light conditions.
- Recency: Recent pilot reports are weighted more heavily than older ones, since conditions change.
- Coverage: The score considers how much of your route passes through hazardous areas, not just whether hazards exist.
- Altitude relevance: Only hazards at altitudes you will actually fly through are considered.
Interpreting Results
- Look at individual phases: The overall score is helpful, but checking each phase tells you when during the flight you might encounter bumps.
- Check the hazard list: Each phase shows what specific conditions were found. This helps you understand why a score is what it is.
- Consider coverage: A hazard covering 10% of your route has less impact than one covering 50%. The coverage percentage is shown for polygon-based hazards.
- Conditions change: Weather is dynamic. Check again closer to your flight time for the most current assessment.
Remember that this tool uses the same data sources pilots and dispatchers use. A lower score does not mean your flight is unsafe - it means there are reported or forecast conditions that could cause bumps. Pilots are trained to manage these situations, and they may adjust altitude or route to minimize turbulence when possible.