The central and usually longest phase of a flight, in which the aircraft flies level at its most efficient height and speed between the climb and the descent.
What it is
In the cruise the aircraft holds an almost constant flight level and speed, the latter expressed as a Mach number. Transport jets usually fly between 30,000 and 41,000 feet (roughly 9,000 to 12,500 metres), where the air is thinner, drag is lower and the engines use less fuel.
The optimum height and speed depend on weight. Early on, with full tanks, the aircraft flies lower, then step-climbs as it burns off fuel. The airline also chooses between speed and economy through the cost index, which weighs the cost of time against the cost of fuel.
An A320 or 737 cruises at around Mach 0.78, and a 787 or A350 at about Mach 0.85. Regional turboprops fly lower and slower, generally below 25,000 feet.
On Vuelopedia
The technical data on Vuelopedia model pages give the cruise speed in km/h and as a Mach number, together with the service ceiling.
Related terms
Cite
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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Cruise. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cruise
MLA
“Cruise.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cruise. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Cruise.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cruise.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Cruise. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cruise (Accessed: 16 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_cruise,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Cruise}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-09},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cruise},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cruise}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/cruise |title=Cruise |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}