Systems and methods for direct communication between aircraft for one or more embodiments are adapted to receive tactical and strategic information related to proximate aircraft for improved flight planning. The systems and methods presented herein may be implemented, for example, in a first aircraft having a data link component adapted to process information, a storage component adapted to store information related to the first aircraft, and a communication interface component adapted to directly communicate with a second aircraft via a communication link. The first aircraft may include a user interface component adapted to interact with the data link component to retrieve information related to the first aircraft from the storage component, generate a request message with the information related to the first aircraft, and communicate with the communication interface component to directly transmit the generated request message to the second aircraft via the communication link.