A NOTAM briefing with the few notices that change your flight, each cited, and a reason for every one set aside
238 notices become the 6 that change the flight, each with its reason and original text.
See one case, screen by screen ↓NOTAM Briefing is a NOTAM briefing for airline crews and dispatchers that shows the few notices that change one flight as plain-language NOTAMs, each with its original text and source. Seven agents read every NOTAM against the flight's runway, ETA window, aircraft and alternates, give a reason for each notice they set aside, and watch for changes until block-in. The dispatcher decides every change after release and the captain accepts the briefing.
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A NOTAM briefing for one Part 121 flight covers the departure, the route, the destination, the alternates, the FDC and GPS notices and the company's own NOTAMs. ICAO calls it the pre-flight information bulletin, and it often runs 10 to 50 pages in coded upper case, with Q-codes and ten-digit times. The crew is expected to find the two or three notices that change the flight. In the 2017 San Francisco near-collision, the closure of runway 28L was in the crew's release, on page 8 of a 27-page package; a board member estimated 20 minutes to read every NOTAM for that flight.
The usual answer to NOTAM overload is NOTAM filtering by static rules — by series, Q-code, FIR or keyword — that list what to exclude. They keep notices that never matter and drop ones that matter only in a go-around or at an alternate, and a dropped notice carries no reason. The dispatcher must still give the captain every airport condition and navaid irregularity that may affect the flight (14 CFR 121.601(b)) and keep updating it until departure, so a NOTAM that lands after the release is signed reaches the cockpit by ACARS, sometimes without context.
Estimated split for one domestic flight, by hand today and with the solution.
Seven agents reason every NOTAM against the flight and check each other; the dispatcher decides changes and the captain accepts.
Corvane Airways CV 2207, an A321neo with 188 passengers, Denver to San Francisco on Thursday 15 October. Off-block 1835Z, ETA 2135Z, alternates Oakland and San Jose, release #3 signed by the dispatcher at 1615Z. At 1725Z a new NOTAM arrives. Here are the next ten minutes, screen by screen, in the working solution.
The briefing opens on the flight drawn as one ribbon: Denver, the climb, the route through HBU, MLF, ILC and OAL at FL360, the DYAMD5 arrival into San Francisco, and Oakland and San Jose branching off it. The ETA window, 2105Z–2235Z, is shaded. Six notices are pinned where and when they bite and listed below, ranked by impact: runway 28L closed at your ETA, no ILS glidepath to 28R, Denver 34L closed for your departure, Oakland ILS 30 out, GPS may be unreliable over Nevada, gate C10 out of service.
“232 not relevant to this flight — show me why.”
!SFO 10/231, issued at 1725Z, puts the 28R glideslope out of service until about 0200Z on the 17th. On its own it is one more navaid notice. The agent joins it with notice 1: 28L is closed 2100Z–0600Z, the ETA is 2135Z, so 28R is the only west-flow landing runway, and it now has no ILS glidepath. The notice opens with the original text as received, its ICAO form, the decoded fields and each reasoning step, timed.
“Joined with notice 1: 28L closed and 28R has no glidepath — together they change the approach.”
The 232 NOTAMs set aside are grouped by reason in plain words: outside your time window 61, away from your route and airports 74, runways, taxiways and gates you won't use 39, not for this aircraft or operation 31, obstacles clear of your procedures 15, duplicates and superseded 12. The Cross-checker re-tested all of them against the nine always-brief rules and found no conflicts. It raised two close calls instead of dropping them.
Close call: “A crane 412 ft MSL, 1.1 NM west-northwest of the 28R end … Matters if you go around and cannot make the climb gradient, for example on one engine.”
Elena asks in the briefing conversation, which cockpit and dispatch share. The Briefing assistant answers: expect RNAV (GPS) Z RWY 28R, or the localizer-only approach. Weather at 2135Z is wind 290/14, 6 SM in mist, broken at 1,500 ft, above the minimums of both; the A321neo is approved for LNAV/VNAV. Each fact carries its source — the NOTAMs, the chart, the SFO TAF and FOM 5.12.
The Briefing assistant never answers without a source, and never changes a release, a rule or a minimum.
Elena asks whether anything affects a go-around at San Francisco. The Cross-checker answers with the one set-aside notice that does: !SFO 10/196, the crane about 230 ft below the published missed-approach climb for 28R. It was set aside under obstacles clear of your procedures, and it says why it is still worth knowing. Nothing else touches the 28R missed approach.
Elena promotes the crane with reason P2, it affects a contingency (go-around, engine-out, diversion). It becomes notice 7 for the whole crew and for dispatch. The assistant sends Hannah Okafor, the Briefing Lead, a proposed rule: brief obstacles within 300 ft of a missed-approach climb at the destination, not 200 ft. The rule waits for the Chief Pilot.
Agents never change a briefing rule themselves; the Briefing Lead proposes and the Chief Pilot approves.
Ruben was told at 1726Z, before the crew, with a 10-minute clock. The Change watcher and the Alternate checker proposed: keep release #3, since Oakland stays a legal alternate with a 1,200 ft margin, the SFO weather is above the RNAV and localizer minimums, and single-runway arrivals may add 10 to 15 minutes, and the 2,400 lb contingency covers about 29. Ruben chooses R1, no release change, crew informed, and the change goes to the cockpit on the EFB and by ACARS with his decision attached.
“Confidence 0.96 · two agents agree · the decision is yours.”
In the alternate window, 2135Z–2335Z, Oakland's ILS 30 is out, so it qualifies on a non-precision approach: forecast BKN020 and more than 6 SM against the 800 ft and 2 SM required by FOM 7.4.2, a margin of 1,200 ft and 4 SM. San Jose is legal on the ILS to 30R; its shorter 30L is a close call, set aside because the plan lands 30R.
Dana opens Accept briefing. The acceptance lists the seven briefed notices with their NOTAM numbers, the promoted crane now notice 7. Both checks must be ticked by hand — read the 7 briefed notices and their original text, and seen why 231 were set aside — before Accept and sign can be pressed. She signs with reason A2, accepted with promoted notices.
“It is kept with release #3 for 3 months (14 CFR 121.695).”
The sign-off screen shows all four done: release #3 signed 1615Z, the dispatcher's R1 decision at 1734Z, the first officer's read at 1729Z, and the captain's A2 acceptance at 1735Z. The evidence pack holds all 238 notices as received, the briefed notices with their sentences and sources, every set-aside notice with its reason, the Cross-checker result, the conversation and every decision with its reason code.
One evidence pack per flight: 238 notices as received, 7 briefed, 231 set aside each with its reason, 9 rules checked with 0 conflicts and 2 close calls.
The same NOTAM briefing, seen by five of the people behind CV 2207 — how their briefing worked before, and how it works now.
Seven agents reason every NOTAM against the flight and check each other; the dispatcher decides changes and the captain accepts.
Decodes each NOTAM in domestic or ICAO form — Q-code, place, times, schedule — and writes a plain sentence that keeps every number, time and runway. On CV 2207 it decoded 238 notices in 41 s.
Builds the flight's facts: route and times over each sector, ETA window, runway plan by wind and aircraft, equipment and MEL items, alternates and their windows — 31 facts for CV 2207.
Reasons each notice against the flight's facts, joins related notices into one consequence, ranks by impact and writes why each matters, or why it was set aside.
Independently re-tests every set-aside notice against the nine always-brief rules and the contingencies — go-around, engine-out, diversion — and raises close calls instead of staying silent.
Tests each alternate in its window: the NOTAMs on its runways and approaches against the TAF and the FOM alternate minimums, with the margin.
Watches the NOTAM feed until block-in, compares each new or canceled notice with the flight, re-ranks the briefing, tells the dispatcher what it changes with a proposal, and pushes to the cockpit once the dispatcher decides.
Answers crew and dispatcher questions inside the briefing, citing the NOTAM, chart, TAF or Flight Operations Manual section, and promotes or sets aside a notice when a person asks.
Dispatcher decides changes; captain accepts the briefing. The agents propose; a named person decides.
Crew and dispatcher share one briefing conversation. Ask about any runway, approach, alternate or change; every answer cites the NOTAM, chart, TAF or manual it came from.
What approach do we fly to 28R without the glideslope?
Expect RNAV (GPS) Z RWY 28R; the localizer-only approach is the other choice. The glideslope is out until about 0200Z on the 17th and 28L is closed at your ETA. Weather at 2135Z is wind 290/14, 6 SM in mist, broken at 1,500 ft, above the minimums of both. Brief the change from an ILS as FOM 5.12 asks.
Does anything affect a go-around at SFO?
One notice I set aside is worth knowing: a crane 412 ft MSL, 1.1 NM west-northwest of the 28R end. It sits about 230 ft below the published missed-approach climb, so it was set aside under obstacles clear of your procedures. I raised it as a close call because it matters if you cannot make the climb gradient, for example on one engine.
Is Oakland still a legal alternate?
Yes. Oakland's ILS 30 is out, so you plan a non-precision approach, which needs 800 ft and 2 SM (FOM 7.4.2). The forecast for 2135Z–2335Z is broken at 2,000 ft and more than 6 SM: 1,200 ft and 4 SM of margin. San Jose, your second alternate, is legal too.
How do I know nothing that matters was set aside?
Every set-aside notice has a stated reason, and I re-tested all 232 against the nine always-brief rules: no conflicts. Two were near a rule, so I raised them instead of dropping them: the crane under the 28R missed approach and the shorter 30L at San Jose. Each week a seeded test plants 50 notices I must catch; I caught 50 of 50.
13 screens from the working solution, on its sample data. Pick one to see it large.
How the airline briefs every flight, owned by the Briefing Lead. Every change is saved as a proposal for the Chief Pilot, and the agents use the new version on the next flight plan.
| Setting | Default | Choose from |
|---|---|---|
| ETA window | ETA −30 / +60 min | Time windows version 14 · a change can be tried on last week's flights first |
| Departure window | Takeoff −60 / +60 min | Proposed by the Briefing Lead · approved by the Chief Pilot |
| Alternate window | ETA to ETA + 2 h | Alternate minimums from FOM 7.4.2 |
| Route corridor and altitude band | 25 NM each side · planned levels ± 4,000 ft | Proposed by the Briefing Lead · approved by the Chief Pilot |
| Always brief | 9 of 9 rules on | Runway closures, ILS and approach lights, navaids, TFRs, GPS interference, obstacles, company notices, airport hours, fuel and de-icing |
| Obstacles near a climb (OB-2) | Within 200 ft · close call within 300 ft | Proposed change to 300 ft waiting for the Chief Pilot |
| New notice that changes a flight | Dispatcher within 2 min · decision in 10 min | Then escalate to the dispatch supervisor |
| Change watch | From flight plan to block-in | Pushed to the cockpit by EFB and ACARS before pushback |
Every figure is labelled: a target the solution is built to, an estimate, a typical published result, or a proven one.
“demo” = seen in the working solution, on its sample data · “target” = the design goal, measured in the live solution · “estimated” = our estimate · “typical” = published figures (NTSB DCA17IA148 and recommendation A-18-024 — runway closure on page 8 of a 27-page package, about 20 minutes to read every NOTAM for one flight; ICAO Global NOTAM campaign — about 20% of NOTAMs in a typical briefing old). 14 CFR 121.601(b) and 121.695 are named as context. Corvane Airways, its flights, tail numbers, company NOTAMs and the people named on this page are fictional — characters and sample data in the working solution; airports appear by their real codes.
NOTAM Briefing is a NOTAM briefing for airline crews and dispatchers that shows the few notices that change one flight as plain-language NOTAMs, each with its original text and source. Seven agents read every NOTAM against the flight's runway, ETA window, aircraft and alternates, give a reason for each notice they set aside, and watch for changes until block-in. The dispatcher decides every change after release and the captain accepts the briefing.
Rule-based NOTAM filtering excludes notices by series, Q-code, FIR or keyword, and a dropped notice has no reason. Here each NOTAM is tested against this flight's facts — runway plan, ETA window, aircraft, route corridor and alternates — related notices are joined into one consequence, such as 28L closed and the 28R glideslope out meaning no ILS glidepath to the landing runway, and every notice set aside carries its reason, re-checked by a second agent.
The AI NOTAM summaries here keep every number, time and runway from the original, cites its NOTAM and shows the original text underneath; the original always wins. A second agent re-tests every set-aside notice against the nine always-brief rules, and a crew member can flag a wrong summary, which the Briefing Lead reviews.
The dispatcher still owes the captain that information under 14 CFR 121.601, so the Change watcher compares it with the flight and tells the dispatcher first, with what it changes and a proposal — keep the release, amend it, or hold and call the crew. The dispatcher decides with a reason code within a 10-minute clock, and the change reaches the cockpit by EFB and ACARS with that decision attached. In the working solution, a glideslope NOTAM was decoded 58 seconds after issue.
Yes. The Alternate checker runs an alternate minimums check on each alternate in its window, against its NOTAMs, the TAF and the alternate minimums in your Flight Operations Manual, and shows the margin. It never changes an alternate; it proposes to the dispatcher.
Yes. Every pilot NOTAM briefing comes with one conversation that the crew and the dispatch desk share, so a first officer can ask what approach to fly without a glideslope or what affects a go-around, and get an answer cited to the NOTAM, chart, TAF or manual. They can promote a set-aside notice back, or set one aside, with a reason code.
Yes. The dispatcher decides every change after release, the captain accepts the briefing with a signature and reason code, and briefing rules change only when the Briefing Lead proposes and the Chief Pilot approves. Agents never change a release, a flight plan, an alternate, a minimum or a rule.
The Agentic Solution Engine builds and deploys it from your requirements and documents — your NOTAM feeds, flight planning and release systems, fleet and runway plan, and Flight Operations Manual — and it goes live once every quality gate has passed. Setup includes a shadow run against your current briefing packages before anything reaches a crew.
Recovery plans in minutes, each one rehearsed and costed, signed before anything moves.
1-min demoFlight Dispatch ReleaseEvery release checked before signature, with a source behind every number.
1-min demoDiscretionary Fuel OptimizationEach flight loads the extra fuel its history needs: an estimated $2.1M a year at one hub.
1-min demoWe'll run NOTAM Briefing on a day of your own flight plans and the NOTAMs that came with them.