Definition
Two tiers of automated weather observation service provided by the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS). Service Level A is the most basic, reporting altimeter setting only. Service Level B reports altimeter setting plus wind speed, direction, and gusts. These designations identify what weather elements a given AWOS station is certified to report, with higher service levels (C, D) adding more elements such as temperature, dew point, and density altitude.
Plain English
Categories that tell pilots how much weather information an automated station provides. Level A gives only the altimeter setting. Level B adds wind information.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA handbook discussions of automated airport weather systems and official surface weather reports used for flight planning and instrument operations.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing the service level tells a pilot whether the automated report can be trusted for ceiling, visibility, and precipitation information needed for instrument approaches and alternate requirements.
Intuition Check
Do not read “service levels A or B” as a grade for the pilot, airplane, or airport difficulty. Here it means an FAA category for how much weather-observing support is behind the automated report.
Example Sentence 1
The Chart Supplement showed the field had AWOS Service Level A, so the pilot knew she would get an altimeter setting but would need to estimate wind from the windsock on arrival.
Example Sentence 2
Because the field only has service level B, the pilot confirmed the automated report would satisfy alternate airport weather minimums.