PeanuckleCRJ
Poodle Wrangler
Worldflight and the speed cards give us most of that from the start. The MAJOR complaint I've heard from guy that go from the -200 to the -900 is they hate the LIDO releases b/c of the lack of info. The fuel burn on the worldflight releases are SCARY accurate. Guys slam them all the time, but if you fly the route as planned at the speeds and altitude planned, you'll land within about 100 lbs of your EFOA. We get the ZFW straight outta the FMS perf init page. All our speeds (landing and takeoff) are based off the speed cards rounded up to the next thousands. Example: actual weight is 48,430, you use the 49,000 speed card. Flap settings and the performance numbers associated with them are on the release. Flex is either via ACARS or on a closeout report we get just prior to closing the door. Really, the only thing we need to get via ACARS (or radio if ACARS is busted) is confirmation of the load data and the trim setting.
For contaminated runways, we've got "equivalency" keys for takeoff data. For landing, we have to do it the old fashioned way: a chart.
From what I hear, we're not getting Aerodata since it seems Delta has decided Worldflight is gonna stick around. We'll be getting some sort of hybrid system that has the Worldflight releases but a W&B program that doesn't have us sitting around waiting on numbers.
Those of ya just learning all this, here's a shining example of how two airlines can operate the exact same airplane in TOTALLY different ways.
What we use at Delta is "FPS 2.0" and "AWABS." FPS is the flight planning/dispatch release and awabs is the weight and balance computation. It's kinda a deltafied Wordflight and MGL. The info is pretty much all the same, just presented in a different way.
Worldflight will be no longer utilized by NWA come April. I think the DC-9's are switching over as the guinea pigs in March, which is why you see them running around with the 7xxx flight numbers.
It will be interesting to see what Pinnacle does. I sure did love Worldflight....