take off on schedule

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "take off on schedule" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in the context of flights or transportation to indicate that a departure is occurring at the planned time. Example: "The flight to New York is expected to take off on schedule despite the weather conditions."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

This night, the hub makes its deadline, and by 3 a.m., planes are starting to take off on schedule.

The New York Times

To gauge the likelihood that your flight from San Francisco to Denver will take off on schedule, do this: First get the aircraft number (different from the flight number).

Forbes

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Flight 305, approximately one-third full, took off on schedule at 2 50 pm, local time (PST).

Wikipedia

Then the brand-new, hangar-fresh Lufthansa jumbo jet took off, on schedule.

The New Yorker

American Airlines Flight 11 to Los Angeles took off on schedule out of the tangle of construction choking Logan International Airport in Boston, right on time at 7 59 Tuesday morning.

The New York Times

Some three minutes earlier the A320, after taking off on schedule from Barcelona airport at 10.01am with 144 passengers and six crew on board, had reached its cruising altitude of 38,000ft (11,500 metres) off the French naval city of Toulon.

The Guardian

The astronauts — Peggy A. Whitson, the station commander, and Daniel M. Tani, a flight engineer — said during a NASA news conference televised from space that they would do the spacewalk, which would have been performed by astronauts from the shuttle Atlantis if it had taken off on schedule last week.

The New York Times - Science

"The Run for the Roses" still features a field of 19 impressive thoroughbreds, scheduled to take off on their one-and-a-quarter-mile dash at 6 24 p.m. EDT.

Huffington Post

The space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to take off on its final voyage today.

The New Yorker

In one of NASA's faster turnarounds, the shuttle Discovery is scheduled to take off on Oct. 5 with new space station parts.

The New York Times

A pair of student-engineered cubesats equipped with TILE thrusters are scheduled to take off on RocketLab's first big commercial payload launch, "It's Business Time".

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When writing about transportation or planned events, use "take off on schedule" to clearly indicate that the departure or start is happening at the expected time. This helps avoid confusion about delays or changes.

Common error

Avoid incorrect prepositional phrases such as "take off in schedule" or "take off at schedule". The correct preposition is "on", as in "take off on schedule".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "take off on schedule" functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying the verb to specify the timing of the departure. Ludwig confirms its grammatical correctness and usability.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Wiki

30%

Science

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

7%

Encyclopedias

7%

Academia

6%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "take off on schedule" is a grammatically correct and usable phrase used to describe the punctual departure of a flight or other transportation. Ludwig AI confirms this. While not overly common, it is frequently found in news reports and general writing. Alternatives include "depart on time" and "leave as planned". Ensure the use of the correct preposition "on" and avoid phrases like "take off in schedule". Overall, the phrase is clear and effective in communicating the timeliness of a departure.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

depart on time

Replaces "take off" with a more general term "depart", emphasizing the timeliness of the departure.

take flight on time

Replaces "take off" with "take flight", maintaining the aviation context and emphasizing timeliness.

leave as planned

Focuses on the adherence to the original plan, rather than specifically the act of taking off.

depart according to schedule

A more verbose way of saying "depart on time", adding emphasis to the schedule.

start punctually

Highlights the punctuality of the start, applicable to various events, not just departures.

lift off as planned

Uses "lift off" to describe a vertical ascent, suitable for spaceflights or similar contexts.

commence on time

A more formal way of saying "start on time", suitable for official announcements.

begin as scheduled

Similar to "leave as planned", but uses "begin" to emphasize the start of something.

get underway on schedule

Suitable for maritime contexts, indicating the start of a voyage at the planned time.

start operations as scheduled

Focuses on the commencement of operations, implying that everything starts on time.

FAQs

What does "take off on schedule" mean?

The phrase "take off on schedule" means that a flight or other form of transportation departs at the time that was originally planned or scheduled.

What is a good alternative to "take off on schedule"?

A good alternative is to say that something will "depart on time" which is a more common phrase and has a similar meaning.

Is it correct to say "take off in schedule"?

No, it is incorrect. The correct preposition to use with "schedule" is "on". You should say "take off on schedule".

How formal is the phrase "take off on schedule"?

The phrase "take off on schedule" is fairly neutral and can be used in most contexts, including news reports, announcements, and general conversation.