Why Airline Captains Still Overrule The Dispatcher’s Fuel Number Before Long-Haul Flights

Deciding how much fuel to put into an airliner is one of the most important planning factors that goes into every flight for both safety and the bottom line. Licensed dispatchers provide a recommendation to the captain before every departure, but a pilot has final say on the exact amount of fuel based on the assessment of the itinerary. Fuel is ultimately the responsibility of the pilot in command, per Part 121 of the Code of Federal Regulations. There are a number of factors that pilots consider beyond the standard calculations based on distance and time from point A to B.