The vertical profile management device includes a flight management system unit that selects a plurality of successive standard cruise sections, each comprising a level phase and a transition phase. The cruise sections are defined by a plurality of features, including waypoints corresponding to a section starting point and a section ending point, a transition type, a transition mode, a transition speed, a level altitude, and a level speed. The flight management system unit also joins together the successive cruise sections in order to form a vertical profile of a flight plan. The cruise sections are configured to be added, removed, or re-sequenced in the flight plan because each section ending point is configured to be the section starting point of a next cruise section in the series.