Cross the Pond Westbound Pairings – Now Live!
It is almost that time of year once again! VATSIM’s annual Cross the Pond Westbound event is only a few weeks away and we have some information to share with you if you are interested in participating as a vAAirlines Pilot. The event will take place on April 2, 2022 and the start time will be dependent on the slot that you end up booking through VATSIM.
Available Routes
This year we are more limited than usual to the departure/arrival fields with KPHL being the only airport that we serve from the departure fields selected. Below are the available city pairs for the event.
| Callsign | City Pair | Equipment |
| AAL203 | EHAM-KPHL | B787-8 |
| AAL203H | EHAM-KPHL | B767-300H |
| AAL723 | EIDW-KPHL | B787-8 |
| AAL723H | EIDW-KPHL | A330-200H |
| AAL755 | LFPG-KPHL | B787-8 |
| AAL755H | LFPG-KPHL | A330-200H |
| AAL259 | LPPT-KPHL | B787-8 |
Slot Booking
VATSIM has implemented a new lottery style system to obtain bookings where a user must first express their interest in the event by visiting ctp.vatsim.net and logging in with their VATSIM credentials. This expression of interest window closes at 1900z on March 17, 2022 so make sure to head over as soon as possible to express your interest if you have yet to do so!
CAT FREE
As we usually do for this event, vAAirlines will be opening up this event to any and all pilots in our ranks, regardless of their rank. That means even a Group I or Group II pilot may participate in this event if they are able to obtain a spot! In order to also allow for members to position themselves for the event, participate in the backup event, or even just enjoy flying the “heavies” for a few weeks in celebration of the occasion, we will also be going “CAT FREE” from 0001 CDT on Friday March 25, 2022 to 2359 CDT on Monday April 11, 2022. During this time period any pilot may fly any aircraft in our fleet on any route in the system, regardless of their normal rank restrictions. Keep in mind that this does not waive any other SOPPHB requirement for a PIREP including aircraft livery or equipment substitution.
Backup Event
For those who still would like to do a group flight on April 2, 2022 but were unable to get a slot, we would like to invite you to our “backup event” which will feature two non-event airports. This year the backup event will feature both SAEZ and SUMU, and have the following flights available.
| Callsign | City Pair | Equipment |
| AAL900 | SAEZ-KMIA | B777-200 |
| AAL900H | SAEZ-KMIA | B777-200 |
| AAL908 | SAEZ-KMIA | B787-8 |
| AAL908 | SAEZ-KMIA | B777-200 |
| AAL984H | SUMU-KMIA | B767-300H |
We look forward to flying with you in this year’s Cross the Pond event or the backup event!