Definition
The two airports that bound a flight: the airport where the flight begins (point of departure) and the airport where the flight is intended to end (point of destination). In flight planning and ATC communication, these are identified by their official airport identifiers and form the core endpoints of the planned route.
Plain English
Where the flight starts and where it is going to end. The takeoff airport and the landing airport.
Context Anchor
Seen when a pilot gives flight information, files or amends a flight plan, or tells air traffic control the basic details of a flight.
Derivation
Departure comes from an older word meaning “to go away from.” Destination comes from a word meaning “a place appointed or intended.” Together, they point to the planned start and planned end of the flight, not just a general direction of travel.
Why Pilots Care
Correct identification of these points ensures the right weather, NOTAMs, routing, and clearances are provided for the actual flight.
Intuition Check
Do not read “point” as a rough area or a casual description. Here it means the specific named or coded location used to identify the start and planned end of the flight.
Example Sentence 1
On the flight plan, the pilot listed KPAO as the point of departure and KSBA as the point of destination.
Example Sentence 2
Before departure the briefer confirmed all NOTAMs between the point of departure and destination.