Definition
Distances measured directly between two specified navigation points, typically shown on en route charts to indicate the mileage along a route segment from one fix, navaid, or waypoint to the next.
Plain English
The distance from one point on a route to the next point, measured straight along the route between them.
Context Anchor
Seen on IFR route charts and other route information when planning or checking the distance between two charted locations.
Why Pilots Care
Enables accurate fuel planning, time estimates, and efficiency gains when filing or flying direct instead of following longer airways.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as a rough distance from where the airplane is now. In this context, it means a published chart distance between two specific named points.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot checked the point-to-point distances on the en route chart to calculate the time and fuel needed for each leg of the flight.
Example Sentence 2
Filing direct saved 15 minutes because the point-to-point distances were shorter than the airway routing.