This Sunday, March 10th, marks the beginning of daylight savings time (DST). It’s the time of year to set your clocks forward one hour before going to sleep on Saturday (one less hour of sleep!). But take it easy in Arizona, Hawaii, and some parts of Canada—these areas have ditched the practice and follow the same clock year-round.
For air travelers, even though you lose an hour of sleep Saturday night, you can rest assured that flights will run as usual on Sunday morning. That’s because the aviation industry operates on coordinated universal time (UTC), also referred to as Zulu time. UTC is the primary time standard by which clocks are regulated worldwide. Weather reports, flight planning, and flight clearance times are all calculated based on UTC to maintain smooth operations and minimize issues associated with daylight saving time or crossing time zones.
With these logistics in place, the aviation industry isn’t generally impacted by DST. Even so, the industry does take certain steps to keep things running smoothly for passengers. To maintain passenger safety and compliance with federal requirements, pilot rest periods are adjusted according to DST changes. Airlines also closely track DST at the destinations they serve to provide accurate flight schedules for passengers.
Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, the aviation industry is working to keep our passengers and cargo moving.