Jettly Explains How Aircraft Flight Time Is Defined and Calculated, With FAA and EASA Differing on Taxi Time
Why It MattersBecause regulators and operators measure flight time differently, charter quotes and crew-limit calculations can rest on different clocks, so what a quote includes matters as much as the headline figure.
Aircraft time, often called flight time, is the basis of trip planning, pricing, crew scheduling and safety compliance in private aviation, according to a Jettly explainer. It typically runs from when the aircraft first moves under its own power until it comes to rest at the destination airport, though some operators bill only airborne time, from wheels-up to wheels-down.
The explainer distinguishes several measures. Block time is the total time from first movement under the aircraft's own power until it stops at the destination, while airborne time is the duration in the air from takeoff to landing. Under the FAA definition (14 CFR §1.1), flight time begins when the aircraft moves under its own power for the purpose of flight and ends when it comes to rest after landing, so taxiing, holding and de-icing count. European rules often exclude taxi time, starting the clock at first movement for the purpose of takeoff.
US pilots must log flight time to the nearest minute in a logbook that serves as a legal document. Aircraft record time automatically using Hobbs meters, airswitches and electronic flight bags, and regulators including the FAA and EASA use these figures for pilot licensing, currency and crew duty limits.
Jettly states that its flight calculator estimates flight time, route, fuel needs and costs across 20,000+ aircraft worldwide, drawing on over 500 aircraft records. Users enter departure and destination airports, date and time, passenger count, luggage requirements and preferred aircraft category. The calculator maps the route using great-circle distance adjusted by a routing factor of typically 1.03–1.05× to account for airways and waypoints. Jettly says it discloses what is included in each quote, since billing definitions of flight time can differ from regulatory ones.
