Photo Credit:  Eric Morris, Sheffield.com

 As I sign into the computer, my phone begins to ring.  "This is the Captain for flight 473 in IAD. Tower is telling us we are stopped until 2000z, what's going on in ATL?"  I brief him on the weather along the arrival, and advise him to keep in contact with the tower for the next update.  I let him know that I will contact the station if there are any significant changes.  I look at my worksheet, and see that I have accepted 6 flights the previous dispatcher turned over, and 38 more that need releases.  I check the text weather, airport NOTAMS, PIREPS, area forecasts, maintenance records, and also keep an eye on the weather radar.  My priorities for planning each flight are: Is it safe, is it legal (based on Federal Aviation Regulations), and is it the most economical for the airline.  A standard release can be worked up in about 3-5 minutes if there are no significant issues.  While I'm working the first few releases, I get a radio call from the YUL-ATL flight I received during turnover.  They advise that ATC has assigned them holding over MACEY intersection at FL220 with an EFC (expected release time) of 2025z, and they have 3400 lbs of fuel.  That equates to about 15 minutes of holding fuel in the CRJ-200 plus enough fuel to continue to ATL and land with reserves.  This was one of the full flights that couldn't carry as much fuel.  I advise him that the Chattanooga weather is good, and if he is not released from the hold in 15 minutes to give me a call, and I will coordinate with CHA station for more fuel.  I look at the aircraft situation display, and note that there are about 10 aircraft stacked up over MACEY, so I make a call to CHA to let them know they will likely get a diversion.  They advise they have room for them on the ramp, but they already have two aircraft on the gate, so we should not send too many.  I let the other dispatchers in the office know that space is limited in CHA, and they should try to find a different diversion airport if possible.

The ATC coordinator makes another announcement that he has just finished a teleconference with the ATC Command Center, and the weather south of MACEY is falling apart, so any aircraft holding should be released in just a few minutes, however the flights on the ground will have an average delay of 45 minutes.  This is when the stations begin to see the delays posting in the reservation system.  Since the Atlanta airport doesn't have any rain, and the outstation airport is clear as well, the customer service agents have the difficult job of telling the passengers the delay is due to weather/ATC.  The best way I can relate this to a non-pilot is this:  Imagine you are driving down the highway, and something falls off a truck in one of the lanes.  Now all the other cars in this lane have to slow down, and change lanes to avoid hitting the object. This causes things to slow down dramatically for the cars already on the highway.  As a result, you see entrance ramps backed up with other cars that want to enter the highway.  These cars need to be "metered" onto the highway.  This is essentially what happens when a thunderstorm builds along an airway. While you or the people meeting you at the destination don't see any weather, there is certainly something causing this backup.

My YUL flight calls to let me know he has been cleared direct ATL at this time.  Diversion averted, and CHA is advised that they will not be receiving this flight.  As I hang up with CHA, my phone is already ringing again.  This time it is a radio patch from my SLC-SEA flight.  The crew reports that a general aviation aircraft has landed gear up, and the airport is shut down until they can get the aircraft removed.  Since the weather was clear on the west coast, this flight was dispatched without an alternate airport.  I advise the crew the weather is good throughout the Pacific Northwest, and there are several airports in the Seattle area, however we do not have contracts with any of the ground handlers.  Given the flights present position, the joint captain/dispatcher decision is reached to divert to Portland, Oregon.  Shortly after landing in PDX, we receive a notification that SEA has re-opened.  Once I finish the release, it is sent to PDX, and the flight departs shortly after.

After several more hours of controlled chaos, things begin to quiet down, and there is some idle chatter among the dispatchers as another busy summer evening winds down.

As you can see, the job certainly has its stressful days.  It is both challenging and rewarding.  Schedules vary from airline to airline.  Typical regional airline dispatchers will work 4 ten hour days per week, and have three days off.  They are full days too.  No scheduled breaks for a dispatcher.  On a really bad day, you could be stuck in your chair for the entire 10 hours.  Those are the days you look at the clock, and can't believe it's almost time to go home already.  The early spring and late fall are usually pretty quiet, but the dynamic weather of summer, and the icy, foggy winter weather make you really enjoy those quiet months.  The pay varies.  A typical regional dispatcher will start out making $20-30K/year, and top out around $50K after 15 years.  There are usually promotions available which pay more if you so desire.  Major airlines, which have slowed hiring to a near stop over the past few years, can start from $40-60K, and top out at over six figures after several years seniority.  A dispatch office is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days week, 365 days a year, so plan on working weekends and holidays while you are building seniority.  If you can afford to live on the salary, the quality of life is pretty good compared to many other jobs.  Free/reduced rate travel makes those 12 days off per month go by pretty quickly.  It is one of the few jobs that offer so much free time, and the ability to travel the world.  You should plan on six weeks of intensive training to get a license, and then another four to six weeks of training by the airline.  It usually takes anywhere from six months to a year after being signed off by the airline to feel comfortable on the desk.  It is certainly a job that you continue to learn something new every shift.