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Aviation · head to head

DUATS vs Lido Flight Planning

DUATS logo

DUATS

Aviation

FAA Direct User Access Terminal System for flight briefings

From
$9.95/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
L

Lido Flight Planning

Aviation

Professional airline flight planning solution

From
$40000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: DUATS service has been discontinued as of May 2018; Lido Flight Planning pricing is by quote only, with no rate, minimum or named cost driver published on the product page
  • They diverge on capability: DUATS covers Flight briefings, Lido Flight Planning covers Route optimization.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DUATS and Lido Flight Planning actually diverge.

Attributes where DUATS and Lido Flight Planning differ
AttributeDUATSLido Flight Planning
Starting price$9.95/month$40000/year
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Windows
Founded19901987

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Aviation).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in DUATS

  • Flight briefings
  • Weather data
  • Flight planning
  • Flight filing
  • NOTAMs
  • FAA systems
  • Chart databases
  • ATC integration

Only in Lido Flight Planning

  • Route optimization
  • Fuel planning
  • Performance data
  • Weight & balance
  • Cost calculation
  • Airline systems
  • Crew systems
  • Accounting

Both cover

  • Weather services
  • Data encryption
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

DUATS

  • Flight briefingnot Lido Flight Planning
  • Flight planningnot Lido Flight Planning
  • Flight filingnot Lido Flight Planning
  • Weather briefingnot Lido Flight Planning

Lido Flight Planning

  • Generating optimal flight routes and profiles that Air Traffic Control will acceptnot DUATS
  • Automating airline flight planning against weather, NOTAMs, AIP, ATM restrictions and ATC chargesnot DUATS
  • Supporting pre-operational flight planning from a web applicationnot DUATS

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

DUATS

  • Service has been discontinued as of May 2018
  • No longer available for flight planning or briefing

Lido Flight Planning

  • Pricing is by quote only, with no rate, minimum or named cost driver published on the product page
  • Pre-operational planning is a separately named application, Lido Flight 4D Pre-Planning, rather than part of the core flight planning product

Pricing, plan by plan

DUATS

$9.95/month
  • Basic$9.95/month
    • Flight briefings
    • Weather data
    • Flight planning
  • Premium$29.95/month
    • All Basic features
    • Advanced weather
    • Priority briefings

Lido Flight Planning

$40000/year
  • Standard$40000/year
    • Route planning
    • Performance data
    • Weather integration
  • Enterprise$80000/year
    • Multi-fleet
    • Advanced optimization
    • Custom integration

Which should you pick?

Choose DUATS if

  • You need flight briefings.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want weather data.
DUATS review

Choose Lido Flight Planning if

  • You need route optimization.
  • You work on Web, Windows.
  • You also want fuel planning.
Lido Flight Planning review

Questions people ask

Is DUATS or Lido Flight Planning better?
Neither clearly leads. DUATS starts at $9.95/month and Lido Flight Planning at $40000/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DUATS or Lido Flight Planning?
DUATS starts at $9.95/month and Lido Flight Planning at $40000/year.
Does DUATS or Lido Flight Planning run on more platforms?
DUATS runs on Web, Ios, Android. Lido Flight Planning runs on Web, Windows.
What is DUATS best used for?
DUATS is most often used for flight briefing, flight planning, flight filing, weather briefing. Of those, flight briefing and flight planning are not what Lido Flight Planning is typically brought in for.
What can DUATS do that Lido Flight Planning cannot?
DUATS covers Flight briefings, Weather data, Flight planning, Flight filing. Lido Flight Planning covers Route optimization, Fuel planning, Performance data, Weight & balance. Both handle Weather services, Data encryption, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DUATS: Is DUATS still available?

No. The FAA discontinued the Direct User Access Terminal Service (DUATS II) on May 16, 2018.

Source
DUATS: Did DUATS cost money?

No. DUATS was free to all registered U.S. pilots and student pilots holding a current medical certificate.

Source
DUATS: What replaced DUATS?

Pilots now access internet-based weather, aeronautical information, and flight plan filing through the FAA flight service website at no charge.

Source
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