Short-haul
Flights of up to around three hours on narrow-body aircraft, flown as multi-sector days that usually end at home.
Definition
Short-haul describes flights of roughly three hours or less, almost always on narrow-body aircraft such as the A320 family or 737. There is no legal definition; airlines use the term for their domestic and regional networks. Crew typically fly two to six short-haul sectors in one duty and return to base the same day.
What it means for you
Short-haul is the more physically repetitive job: several boardings, a fast service and a turnaround every couple of hours, with early sign-ons and late finishes. In return you sleep in your own bed most nights, jet lag is not a factor, and at low-cost carriers your sector pay rewards the density. Most crew start here before moving to wide-bodies.
In practice
An easyJet crew member at Gatwick signs on at 05:15 for Gatwick-Nice-Gatwick-Geneva-Gatwick and is home by mid-afternoon, having handled four boardings and four services.
Related terms
4 terms- Medium-haulFlight operationsFlights of roughly three to six hours, long enough to lose the multi-sector rhythm but not long enough for bunk rest.
- Long-haulFlight operationsFlights of roughly six hours or more on wide-body aircraft, normally one sector a day followed by a layover.
- Narrow-bodyFlight operationsA single-aisle aircraft such as the A320 family or 737, the workhorse of short-haul and low-cost flying.
- SectorFlight operationsOne flight from take-off to landing. A day's duty is counted in sectors, and low-cost pay is often earned per sector.