The ABCs of EDCTs Continued

Welcome back to Jump Seat. Today we dive back into our previous discussion about EDCTs, also known as Expected Departure Clearance Times and frequently pronounced as “edicts.” If you’re new here: Welcome! We are glad you’re here. Please read Part I about EDCTs and then come back to this article. When we left off last time, we’d just been issued an EDCT. Now let’s figure out how to deal with it (and maybe prevent it in the future). 

I just got an EDCT. What’s next? 

If an EDCT is issued for your flight, there are some ways to alleviate or even bypass the slot time. Some delays will have a ceiling on the restriction, meaning you could fly above the constrained airspace. For example, an Airspace Flow Program (AFP) could be published from the surface up to FL400. In this case, anyone who can maintain a cruising flight level above FL400 will be given passage through the restricted airspace, so long as they maintain the flight level from origin to destination. Additionally, refiling your flight plan to align with an issued reroute can aid in getting wheels-up or a shorter EDCT. These routes are typically published the day of or pre-released based on special events or FAA forecast. Also, updating for a time of departure that falls outside the traffic initiative’s time frame will also help. Lastly, filing for a nearby airport that is not experiencing the same volume or weather could be an option. 

How can I minimize the chances of getting an EDCT in the first place? 

Review the weather: Most of the weather-related EDCTs stem from some sort of convective activity, but some can be due to low ceilings, wind, etc. Checking forecast weather at origin, destination, and enroute is critical. SIGMETs in the vicinity of an airport can also be a good indication of where issues may arise.  

Image 1 (Left): A snapshot of the convective activity hours before a JX5 Airspace Flow Program was issued. Image 2 (Right): The actual FCA (JX5) “line” capturing traffic headed southbound to Florida. These flights were issued EDCTs due to the convective activity shown on the left. 

File early: Filing your flight plan up to 24 hours in advance helps the FAA anticipate the volume of flights and plan accordingly. The intent to file is directed to the FAA once the “FILE” button is clicked, marking your flight as expected traffic. Note that any changes to the filing will reset this position. When flight plans are submitted late (that is, the day of, or only a few hours before desired ETD) the FAA will treat these as late filers. These ”late filers” can be disruptive to plans due to their last-minute nature, and typically will perturb programs already in place. Therefore, EDCTs issued to these flights can be more sizeable.  

Read the PERTI Plan: The PERTI (Plan Execute Review Train Improve) document maps out the FAA’s plans for operations the following day. One section of this document discusses the probabilities of delays. They are broken down hour-by-hour per listed airports and are shaded different colors that signify low, probable, and expected chances for delays. This document can be found linked to your homepage of the ARINC Direct Flight Planning homepage, labeled “FAA/ATC Next Day Plan For...”. Planning outside these problematic hours, you can minimize your chances of being issued an EDCT. 

Images 3 and 4: The PERTI Plan’s forecast for the day reflected in the above images.

This forecast is updated on the ARINCDirect Flight Planning home page for the following day’s operations by 5pm EST. 

Flight Coordinators: As always, use your team at ARINCDirect. One of the benefits of being an ARINCDirect customer is the ability to leverage our longstanding relationship with the NBAA Air Traffic Services and our access to FAA tools such as Collaborative Decision Making (CDM). These relationships allow us to see if any improvements can be made on EDCTs, including a direct line to FAA’s TCA (Tactical Customer Advocate) Hotline. This is, of course, based on real-time slot availability and operational needs, but is a good card to keep in your back pocket. Our flight coordinators closely monitor the NAS traffic and can guide you on the best tactical approach to managing such delays. Here is a recent testimonial about this service: 

“...On our flight STL-ISM...they helped me improve our EDCT time by over two hours. I called and stayed on the phone for 20 minutes while they messaged the ATC command center. They were all kind and patient with me as I inquired if they had any ideas-- and they did.” 

Final thoughts 

Avoiding EDCTs altogether will be difficult, but knowing how to manage them once issued could make a significant difference to your operations. With so much information out there, and with crew members being on the road, think of our flight coordinators at ARINCDirect as your helping hands. We are standing by 24x7 to provide guidance on how to manage these disruptions. 

Image 5: Members of the ARINCDirect Flight Operations team after visiting TRACON on April 26, 2023.

• ARINCDirect has a direct line with the Command Center and the NBAA. We also are a part of Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) and attend the Operations Teleconference every two hours. 

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