Definition
A reservation is an advance booking of a slot, route, or service within the air traffic system, used to manage capacity at busy airports, along constrained routes, or for special operations such as oceanic crossings or special-use airspace transits.
Plain English
It means a pre-booked spot in the system — a way of holding a place in line for an airport, a route, or a piece of airspace before you fly.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation notices, airport procedures, and special-event operations when arrival access, parking, or services are limited.
Derivation
From Latin reservare, meaning 'to keep back' or 'set aside.' In aviation, something is set aside in advance for a specific aircraft or operator.
Why Pilots Care
Understanding RSVN tells you whether advance permission or a scheduled slot is required before operating at that location.
Intuition Check
Do not read RSVN as just a casual preference or note. In this context, it usually means an arrangement may be required before you can use the airport access, parking, time, or service.
Example Sentence 1
The crew confirmed their oceanic RSVN before pushback to ensure they had a track assignment for the Atlantic crossing.
Example Sentence 2
No RSVN was listed, so the flight could proceed without a prior time slot.