Definition
A published list of fixes used by air traffic control as the points at which aircraft arrival times are calculated and metered into a high-density airport. Each fix on the list serves as a reference for sequencing and spacing arriving traffic.
Plain English
A list of specific points along arrival routes where controllers measure and time aircraft to keep arrivals at a busy airport in an orderly stream.
Context Anchor
Seen in air traffic control traffic-management and arrival-sequencing discussions, not normally as a cockpit item for the pilot to operate.
Derivation
‘Meter’ here comes from the same root as a parking meter or gas meter — to measure and regulate flow over time. In ATC use, controllers ‘meter’ arrivals by spacing them out so the airport receives a steady, manageable flow rather than a bunch all at once.
Why Pilots Care
The fixes on this list are where controllers calculate your expected arrival time, so speed adjustments, holding, or path stretching often originate from how your aircraft is tracking against one of these reference points.
Intuition Check
Do not read “meter” here as a gauge or as a unit of length. In this context, to meter traffic means to regulate the timing and flow of aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
The crossing time at the meter reference point determined where the aircraft fit into the arrival sequence.
Example Sentence 2
Surveyors updated the Meter Reference Point List after completing the taxiway extension.