Definition
The estimated time required to fly from one specified point to another, based on planned groundspeed. ETE is expressed in hours and minutes and represents the flying time between two points only — it does not include taxi, climb to cruise from a different starting point, or any time on the ground.
Plain English
How long the flight itself is expected to take from point A to point B, in hours and minutes.
Context Anchor
Seen in flight planning, navigation logs, cockpit displays, and position reports when a pilot needs to know how much travel time remains or is planned.
Derivation
From Old French 'en route', meaning 'on the way'. ETE is literally the time spent on the way between two points.
Why Pilots Care
Used for fuel planning, arrival reservations, and coordinating with air traffic control or destination services.
Intuition Check
ETE is not the clock time you will arrive. It is the amount of travel time expected; add it to the start time to estimate the arrival time.
Example Sentence 1
With a planned groundspeed of 120 knots over a 180-nautical-mile leg, the pilot calculated an ETE of 1 hour 30 minutes.
Example Sentence 2
ATC requested the ETE to the next waypoint, and the pilot replied with thirty-two minutes based on current groundspeed.