Structure a dispatcher shift-handover report
flight dispatchersoperations officers
Purpose
What this workflow does
Takes the notes you already hold at end of shift and organises them into a consistent handover structure so nothing is passed on as an assumption.
Timing
When it is useful
At end of shift, particularly when you are tired, the desk is busy, or you are handing over flights that are still airborne.
Method
Step by step
- 01Write your raw notes first, in whatever order they come. The model organises; it does not observe.
- 02Paste them into the prompt along with your company's handover headings if you have them.
- 03Read the structured output against your own notes and confirm nothing was dropped, merged or softened.
- 04Add anything the model could not know: verbal agreements, pending decisions, and anything you are uncertain about.
- 05Verify every flight state, weather figure and time against the operational system before you send it. The handover is a company record.
Copy and use
The prompt
Help me structure a flight dispatch shift handover. I will give you my raw notes. Your job is to organise them, not to add information. MY RAW NOTES: """ [PASTE YOUR NOTES HERE] """ Organise them under these headings: 1. Flights currently airborne under my control, with current status and anything being watched 2. Flights released but not yet departed 3. Active weather affecting the operation, and what is being monitored 4. Aircraft with MEL, CDL or deferred maintenance items relevant to planning 5. Airport, airspace or ATC constraints in effect 6. Open items requiring a decision, with the decision point and who is expected to make it 7. Items I was uncertain about, flagged clearly for the incoming dispatcher to verify Rules: - Use only the information in my notes. Do not infer, complete or fill any gap. - If a heading has nothing in my notes, write "Nothing noted" rather than inventing content. - Where my notes are ambiguous, list the item under heading 7 and state exactly what is unclear. - Do not summarise away specifics. Keep every flight number, time, altitude, fuel figure and airport identifier exactly as I wrote it. - Add a final line listing anything you think a handover would normally cover that my notes did not mention, phrased as questions for me to answer.
Your input
What you must provide
- Your raw shift notes, including flight numbers, times and current states.
- Your company handover headings, if they differ from the generic set.
- Anything agreed verbally that is not written down anywhere.
Before you rely on it
Verification steps
- Check every flight state against the operational control system, not against the model output.
- Confirm all times, fuel figures and altitudes match the source system exactly.
- Confirm nothing in your original notes was dropped or merged during structuring.
- Have the incoming dispatcher confirm receipt and understanding. Structure does not replace a verbal handover.
Boundaries
Aviation safety limitations
- The model has no access to your operational system and cannot know the true state of any flight.
- A structured document does not discharge the 14 CFR 121.465 requirement to remain on duty until each flight is complete, out of jurisdiction, or properly taken over.
- Do not paste passenger data, crew personal data or anything your company classifies as restricted into an external AI tool.
- The handover remains your professional responsibility. The tool formats it; it does not verify it.
Verify before use · AI-generated information must always be verified against current regulations, approved manuals, official weather products and company procedures.
Related lesson
Dispatcher duty limits, fatigue and hazardous attitudes
The duty time limitations that apply to aircraft dispatchers, how fatigue degrades operational decisions, and the five hazardous attitudes with their antidotes.
Read the lesson →