When should you do your crew brief and minute brief?

• A. 50 mins prior to departure
• B. 60 mins prior to departure
• C. 40 mins prior to departure
• D. 45 mins prior to departure

Answer: (A)

Coordinating a flight relies on a concise, comprehensive briefing that establishes roles, confirms the flight plan, and surfaces any changes before pushback. Doing the crew brief and the minute brief about 50 minutes before departure provides enough time to cover safety, performance data, weather, runways, alternates, fuel, MEL/DEF, weight and balance, crew duties, and contingencies, while still allowing the information to be current and for last-minute updates to be communicated. It also leaves a practical window before boarding and pushback to address findings from the briefing, confirm everyone’s understanding, and distribute any updates, without the risk of information becoming stale if you set it too far in advance, or squeezing the crew and operations if you do it too close to departure. In short, 50 minutes hits a balance between having time to prepare and keeping information fresh for the actual flight.