Definition
In the NextGen Trajectory Based Operations context, flight crew requests are pilot-initiated proposals to air traffic control (ATC) to modify the aircraft's planned trajectory — such as a route deviation, altitude change, or speed adjustment — that ATC evaluates against traffic, weather, and airspace constraints before approving, modifying, or denying.
Plain English
When pilots ask ATC for a change to their route, altitude, or speed, those asks are flight crew requests. ATC then decides whether the change works for the bigger traffic picture.
Context Anchor
Seen in NextGen discussions about communication between the cockpit and air traffic control, including digital messages that can reduce radio workload.
Why Pilots Care
Allows faster, more accurate adjustments to the flight while reducing radio congestion and the chance of misunderstood instructions.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as casual requests from passengers or airline staff. In this FAA context, flight crew requests are operational requests made by the pilots to air traffic control.
Example Sentence 1
The captain made a flight crew request for a 20-degree left deviation to avoid a line of buildups, and ATC approved it within a minute.
Example Sentence 2
NextGen systems let controllers respond quickly to flight crew requests for a direct routing.