A flight plan is a document an airline pilot fills out prior to takeoff. It is for the identification and protection of the aircraft, the persons on board and people on the ground. The pilot provides such information as the type of aircraft, point of departure, destination, speed, cruising altitude, estimated time of arrival, number of people on board, and alternative airports that can be used in case of emergency. All of this information will be of use to search and rescue operations in case of an accident or an emergency landing. Flight planning is usually, though not always, mandatory, but it is always highly recommended. Flight plans are kept for up to two weeks after the actual flight. For people who are interested in what flight plan form look like, a typical flight plan form is available on line. Interested persons can see how to fill out a flight plan form, which takes only two or three minutes. Free Flight Model plans for various types of aircraft are also available online.

In the United States there is a two-tier airline flight travel plan. The first is for domestic flights, and the flight plan is not mandatory. The second is for flights that cross international borders. These flights must use the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)flight plan. The flight plan must be filed whether the flight is conducted under VFR (Visual Flight) or IFR (Instrument Flight) rules. There can be differences depending upon whether the flight crosses a land border or an oceanic border. Theoretically, a pilot should be able to file a flight plan by radio or telephone anywhere in the world and follow an identical format.

The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in the United States is in favour of the adoption of the ICAO flight planning form for domestic use. Therefore, the ICAO flight planning form will become the FAA flight planning form. This would mean that air travel would be harmonized, as the same flight plan forma would be used by all of the airlines; American, Delta, Southwest, United, etc. For all travel flights the air planning lines would be the same. This would be a great step toward improved safety and security in the air. Pilots of private planes will have access to flight planning software, and even portable flight planning software. They will be able to download free flight planning just by using the name of the airport of embarkation and the airport of destination.