What term refers to the actual elapsed time from departure to arrival for pay purposes?

• A. Flight Duration
• B. Flight Time
• C. Air Time
• D. Block Time

Answer: (B)

The key idea is distinguishing how different aviation times are defined for pay. The time that matters for compensation is the period from when the aircraft actually begins its flight to when it lands—takeoff to landing. This is what flight time measures: the duration the aircraft is in flight, from wheels-off to touchdown. It reflects the portion of the journey where the airplane is airborne, and it’s the basis used in many pay calculations for the productive flight segment.

Air time specifically refers to only the time the aircraft is in the air, excluding any taxiing on the ground. Block time includes ground movements as well as the flight itself, from gates to gates. Flight duration can be used informally, but in this context the term that matches the pay-focused elapsed time from departure to arrival is flight time.