Ryanair Dispatch

Karee

Karee

Marginal Member
Ryanair, which serves over 200 destinations and has a fleet size of close to 600 aircraft, has just four flight dispatchers on duty per shift.

I’m curious as to what the dispatch role at this carrier entails, and why they are able to hire so few folks. Is this the norm for airlines regulated by EASA? What are the main differences between the dispatch role at a European ULCC vs a Part 121 carrier stateside? What is the regulatory framework that makes this possible like? How close are we in the US to being phased out as a profession?
 
From what I understand about European carriers like Ryanair, a dispatcher is really nothing more then a glorified flight follower, so they aren’t actually releasing flights.

Since I still have a few working years left in me, I would like to hope we’re not close to getting phased out. I have my own theories as to what this will look like in the future, but it’s my opinion that in the US, there’s always going to be at least one person in the air in the cockpit and one on the ground flight following and issuing pertinent safety information.
 
Karee said:
How close are we in the US to being phased out as a profession?
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I get tired of people talking about this like it's inevitable. Sure, it pays to be vigilant and all, but licensed dispatchers are pretty strongly codified in the FARs. And don't forget we're talking about the FAA making a major policy change. They move super slowly even when making minor ones. I guess my answer would be, "Not any time soon."
 
Once the workload can't be justified with 550ish dispatchers it will soon be a very very small field instead of just a small one.

My guess is 50-100 years though so we should be safe in our lifetime.
 
EASA is also slowly moving towards implementing dispatcher positions from what I have heard thru IATA. It really depends on the State in which the operator is certificated through which dictates the needs of the carrier. The dispatch profession is not going anywhere anytime soon, and more countries are modeling themselves after the FAA due to the increased safety and avoiding single points of failure within aviation systems.
 
manniax said:
I get tired of people talking about this like it's inevitable. Sure, it pays to be vigilant and all, but licensed dispatchers are pretty strongly codified in the FARs. And don't forget we're talking about the FAA making a major policy change. They move super slowly even when making minor ones. I guess my answer would be, "Not any time soon."
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I agree with you but I do think the introduction of AI-esque flight planning systems will have corporations eager to cull the herd. For the union shops, it might look like hiring being slowed and for the non-unionized that might mean layoffs. My understanding is that some 121 shops have already challenged dispatchers to examine their worth ahead of a certain software becoming the industry standard.
 
Karee said:
I agree with you but I do think the introduction of AI-esque flight planning systems will have corporations eager to cull the herd. For the union shops, it might look like hiring being slowed and for the non-unionized that might mean layoffs. My understanding is that some 121 shops have already challenged dispatchers to examine their worth ahead of a certain software becoming the industry standard.
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I could see a point at which there are fewer dispatchers than there are now in 121 operations, but I don't really look at AI other than as a new computer tool. I mean, we all use computerized flight planning systems now - I did manual flight planning in dispatch school, but I'm sure the computer helps my flight plans be much more accurate and able to be generated more quickly. I also have my doubts about AI being a huge game changer for flight operations any time soon - I'm sure some salesmen can present it that way, but I imagine in practical application it will take quite some time for it to make an impact.

As an example of current AI limitations, I am including a picture generated earlier this month by an AI engine of pictures it generated of of a man wearing a t-shirt with the word "Greg" on it. (Original tweet can be found here if you're interested.)

F4_ma0zasAAU_qw.jpg
 
I want to state, as I did in another post, that flight planning in Europe is completely different than flight planning in the US. You very rarely get convective activity at the altitudes or severity that you do in the US. Nor do you get hurricanes or blizzards as often. On top of that, Eurocontrol is very strict about what routing you can take. I'm fact, it's way easier if an "ai" can find that route for you rather than digging out the RAD and seeing what is and isn't available.

On top of this, AI is no where near being able to make the high-level, predictive decisions that dispatchers need to make. I'm not saying it'll never happen, just that it's not the time to go full Chicken Little.
 
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