Hi, in order to perform a well planned descent some ATIS information (like QNH, wheather, runways in use) is needed in order to be able enter that data in the MCDU well before commencing the actual descent. Currently it is not possible to dial ATIS of the destination airport when being at the end of the cruize phase. This option appears in the ATC options far too late. Thank you.
In most cases ATIS as a voice radio option is limited to VHF Line of Sight which can be up to 40nm away. That’s why it doesn’t appear until then.
Not too many aircraft or airports have D-ATIS which let you pull the data from anywhere as long as you have Internet Data Connectivity onboard.
What I try to do is around 60nm, I’ll use COM2 to manually dial in the ATIS frequency for the destination airport. This usually works.
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True but what he suggest is may be about having an alternative option in the ATC menu to request short weather report from the ATC. Something you can do IRL.
Just thinking out loud here. I’m definitely not an expert with the latest CPDLC type comms in cockpits today, but it does seem there is ample digital ATIS data for many airports that is publicly available and updated hourly. If this is an accurate assumption, seems MSFS could implement a function to set actual real-life arrival and departure runways in the sim accordingly with no action by the pilot. This would make it more likely the runway you’ve pre-planned for the current METAR would be correct once you arrived.
Is there something obvious I am missing here?
Edit: I realize my comment is slightly off-topic, but still related since the reason for accessing the ATIS for arrivals is knowing the weather and active runways for approach planning. Nowadays it is less and less necessary to tune a freq to get this information since folks can get it on their iPads in the cockpit. I can get the ATIS in Navigraph Charts, and I do this regularly. Would be cool if the sim did this in the background and set the correct runways.
Similar to my VOR/DME topic (https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/vor-dme-range-too-low/375982)
I want to talk about the range of the ATIS in the sim.
Like the VOR topic, there is a very short time, just before the airport, when you are able to receive the actual ATIS from your destination airport.
ATIS brings us Pilots the latest information not only about the weather, more important are the active runways for planning purposes. Due to that, it´s a bit late tbh, when receiving the station at about 50nm (if lucky) from the airport.
I know that in rl, there are many various factors decreasing the range of a VHF signal, but I really do not expect to put that all in here …too much physics going on there 
But if there´s a chance to increase the possible range to receive the ATIS station, it would be great and very helpful though.
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I tried a couple of airport around the world expecting to receive ATIS from a range of 100 to 150nm when flying at FL330 to FL390, but it does not work and it’s random.
Small airport with mointain serounding it will give me better range about 80nm max and it can go as low as 55-60nm when it’s a massive airport on a flat terrain
Something is very wrong here
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It looks like the OP may be referring to an IFR flight plan, where ATC options are extremely limited and you are not able to tune to the airport at all until they hand you off to the tower. Only then, when basically on final, are you able to tune ATIS. That is a problem.
When flying VFR, you can tune airports and ATIS from quite a ways away.
ATIS can be tuned at any time regardless of flight filing as long as you know the frequency - it’s the reception range that limits it’s utility.
From what I am reading on the internet, ATIS range vary between 20 and 50/60 NM (depending on the terrain and altitude). So looks like the sim is correctly simulating that reception range.
Getting the ATIS on final is way too late, especially if you’re already talking to tower. The tower expects you to know the ATIS. Yeah, that is a problem 
That said, you have two radios for a reason. You’d typically stay on frequency with the controller on COM1 and listen to the ATIS on COM2. That’s done well ahead of approaching the airport.
This almost sounds like something that flight service station frequencies can provide (Not exactly sure how this can be implemented though
I use Navigraph charts and just pull up the dest airport and select metar and atis. Its updated several times an hour if I recall if not more.
I use this for major US airports.
For all other airports I use this, but it’s just METAR data interpretation.
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You can get the current ATIS (correction: METAR) for any airport in the sim via the VFR map. Open the VFR map from the toolbar, use the search bar to enter your destination airport and then click on it, you will see information about runways, frequencies, and the current METAR is shown at the bottom. I do this regularly to make sure I am selecting an appropriate STAR and approach to match the weather in the sim. It doesn’t tell you what runway is in use, but at least you can get wind and altimeter info.
Navigraph now shows which runways are in use or not in use, but I’ve found this rarely matches what the sim and native ATC will do.
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Are you sure it’s the ATIS and not the METAR? Last time I checked it showed the METAR but that was a while ago.
Ah, right, yes, I meant METAR. sorry.
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With the recent tweaks here and there to the ATC system and now having the ability to have the sim not default to the users chosen runways we need a way for the ATC to advise what runway to plan for when beginning the descent or STAR as its usually not what one would assume or have setup during the departure.
The usual runway approach clearances come way too late if we are setup for something completely different, and it can ruin a long flight.
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yes you are right
A lot of things to be improved in MSFS2020 ATC
- ATC to give QNH as soon as you start descent
- ATC not asking to climb to FLxxx as you are coming IAF
- Messages list to add: Flightxxxx request to start descent
and so on…
Tune your radio to ATIS and you will get the active runway and QNH about 60nm from the airport, but I agree ATC should give you landing instructions a lot earlier.
It does not, if you follow your flight plan correctly. I fly IFR with ATC from gate to gate and never have this problem. Some airports have missing approach procedures and ATC can get crazy but it rarely happens. One of the airports from the last WU is affected because Asobo didn’t bother to check what they are releasing.