Long-haul
Flights of roughly six hours or more on wide-body aircraft, normally one sector a day followed by a layover.
Definition
Long-haul refers to flights of about six hours and upward, operated on wide-body aircraft with a larger crew, on-board crew rest facilities and a multi-course service. A long-haul rotation is usually one sector out, a layover of one to three nights and one sector home, with time-zone changes that regulators account for in the rest rules.
What it means for you
Long-haul is where per diems, layovers and the glamour live, but also the jet lag and cumulative fatigue. Your month becomes a handful of trips rather than a string of days, with more protected days off around each. At many airlines it is a promotion or a bid; at the Gulf carriers you fly it from your first roster.
In practice
A British Airways Heathrow-New York rotation is a seven-hour sector out, a two-night layover and the overnight sector home, with the per-night allowance paid on top of basic.
Related terms
4 terms- Ultra-long-haulFlight operationsThe longest scheduled flights, beyond roughly 14-16 hours, flown with augmented crew and mandatory bunk rest.
- Wide-bodyFlight operationsAn aircraft with a fuselage wide enough for two aisles — the 777, 787, A330, A350 and A380 — used for long-haul flying.
- LayoverRoster & schedulingThe rest period spent away from base between two duties, in a crew hotel, from a legal minimum overnight up to several days.
- Crew restAircraft & cabinScheduled sleep on board during an augmented long-haul flight, taken in a bunk or reserved seat so the duty can legally run longer.