Definition
A published, plain-text statement of the airways, fixes, and altitudes that make up a specific Tower En Route Control (TEC) routing between two airports, used by pilots and controllers to file and clear an IFR flight without entering the en route ATC system.
Plain English
A written-out version of the path you'll fly between two airports — naming the airways and waypoints in order — so both you and ATC know exactly which way to go.
Context Anchor
Seen in tower en route control route listings when selecting, filing, or checking an instrument route between airports.
Derivation
Route comes from an older French word meaning a road or way. Description comes from Latin words meaning to write down. Together, the term points to a path that has been written out so the pilot and controller can refer to the same routing.
Why Pilots Care
Allows quick, efficient routing in high-density areas without filing a full IFR flight plan.
Intuition Check
Do not read route description as a loose summary of where the flight goes. In this context, it means the specific written routing that tells the pilot which path to file or expect.
Example Sentence 1
Before departure, the pilot copied the TEC route description from the Chart Supplement and entered it word-for-word into the flight plan.
Example Sentence 2
The route description in the TEC chart showed the preferred path avoiding the main arrival flows.