diff --git a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/AbstractChannel.java b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/AbstractChannel.java
index b8dbfc0706..5d52be18f8 100644
--- a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/AbstractChannel.java
+++ b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/AbstractChannel.java
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractChannel extends DefaultAttributeMap implements Cha
     private final Channel parent;
     private final Integer id;
     private final Unsafe unsafe;
-    private final ChannelPipeline pipeline = new DefaultChannelPipeline(this);
+    private final ChannelPipeline pipeline;
     private final ChannelFuture succeededFuture = new SucceededChannelFuture(this);
     private final ChannelFuture voidFuture = new VoidChannelFuture(this);
     private final CloseFuture closeFuture = new CloseFuture(this);
@@ -131,6 +131,8 @@ public abstract class AbstractChannel extends DefaultAttributeMap implements Cha
                 allChannels.remove(id());
             }
         });
+
+        pipeline = new DefaultChannelPipeline(this);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -150,6 +152,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractChannel extends DefaultAttributeMap implements Cha
 
     @Override
     public EventLoop eventLoop() {
+        EventLoop eventLoop = this.eventLoop;
         if (eventLoop == null) {
             throw new IllegalStateException("channel not registered to an event loop");
         }
@@ -581,13 +584,12 @@ public abstract class AbstractChannel extends DefaultAttributeMap implements Cha
                     }
                 }
 
-                // Attempt/perform outbound I/O if:
-                // - the channel is inactive - flush0() will fail the futures.
-                // - the event loop has no plan to call flushForcibly().
-                if (!inFlushNow) {
+                if (!inFlushNow) { // Avoid re-entrance
                     try {
-                        if (!isActive() || !isFlushPending()) {
+                        if (!isFlushPending()) {
                             flushNow();
+                        } else {
+                            // Event loop will call flushNow() later by itself.
                         }
                     } catch (Throwable t) {
                         notifyFlushFutures(t);
@@ -647,10 +649,6 @@ public abstract class AbstractChannel extends DefaultAttributeMap implements Cha
                         close(voidFuture());
                     }
                 }
-
-                if (!isActive()) {
-                    close(unsafe().voidFuture());
-                }
             } finally {
                 inFlushNow = false;
             }
diff --git a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelHandlerContext.java b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelHandlerContext.java
index 3567eeb910..59ae0dbef0 100644
--- a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelHandlerContext.java
+++ b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelHandlerContext.java
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import java.util.Queue;
 final class DefaultChannelHandlerContext extends DefaultAttributeMap implements ChannelInboundHandlerContext<Object>, ChannelOutboundHandlerContext<Object> {
     volatile DefaultChannelHandlerContext next;
     volatile DefaultChannelHandlerContext prev;
+    private final Channel channel;
     private final DefaultChannelPipeline pipeline;
     final EventExecutor executor;
     private final String name;
@@ -110,6 +111,7 @@ final class DefaultChannelHandlerContext extends DefaultAttributeMap implements
         this.prev = prev;
         this.next = next;
 
+        channel = pipeline.channel;
         this.pipeline = pipeline;
         this.name = name;
         this.handler = handler;
@@ -153,7 +155,7 @@ final class DefaultChannelHandlerContext extends DefaultAttributeMap implements
 
     @Override
     public Channel channel() {
-        return pipeline.channel;
+        return channel;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -164,7 +166,7 @@ final class DefaultChannelHandlerContext extends DefaultAttributeMap implements
     @Override
     public EventExecutor executor() {
         if (executor == null) {
-            return channel().eventLoop();
+            return channel.eventLoop();
         } else {
             return executor;
         }
@@ -360,16 +362,16 @@ final class DefaultChannelHandlerContext extends DefaultAttributeMap implements
 
     @Override
     public ChannelFuture newFuture() {
-        return channel().newFuture();
+        return channel.newFuture();
     }
 
     @Override
     public ChannelFuture newSucceededFuture() {
-        return channel().newSucceededFuture();
+        return channel.newSucceededFuture();
     }
 
     @Override
     public ChannelFuture newFailedFuture(Throwable cause) {
-        return channel().newFailedFuture(cause);
+        return channel.newFailedFuture(cause);
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelPipeline.java b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelPipeline.java
index 2c6cb3431a..8d22b09969 100644
--- a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelPipeline.java
+++ b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/channel/DefaultChannelPipeline.java
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
     static final InternalLogger logger = InternalLoggerFactory.getInstance(DefaultChannelPipeline.class);
 
     final Channel channel;
+    private final Channel.Unsafe unsafe;
+    private final ChannelBufferHolder<Object> directOutbound;
+
     private volatile DefaultChannelHandlerContext head;
     private volatile DefaultChannelHandlerContext tail;
     private final Map<String, DefaultChannelHandlerContext> name2ctx =
@@ -53,6 +56,8 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
             throw new NullPointerException("channel");
         }
         this.channel = channel;
+        unsafe = channel.unsafe();
+        directOutbound = unsafe.directOutbound();
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -667,9 +672,8 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
     ChannelBuffer nextOutboundByteBuffer(DefaultChannelHandlerContext ctx) {
         for (;;) {
             if (ctx == null) {
-                ChannelBufferHolder<Object> lastOut = channel().unsafe().directOutbound();
-                if (lastOut.hasByteBuffer()) {
-                    return lastOut.byteBuffer();
+                if (directOutbound.hasByteBuffer()) {
+                    return directOutbound.byteBuffer();
                 } else {
                     throw NoSuchBufferException.INSTANCE;
                 }
@@ -686,9 +690,8 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
     Queue<Object> nextOutboundMessageBuffer(DefaultChannelHandlerContext ctx) {
         for (;;) {
             if (ctx == null) {
-                ChannelBufferHolder<Object> lastOut = channel().unsafe().directOutbound();
-                if (lastOut.hasMessageBuffer()) {
-                    return lastOut.messageBuffer();
+                if (directOutbound.hasMessageBuffer()) {
+                    return directOutbound.messageBuffer();
                 } else {
                     throw NoSuchBufferException.INSTANCE;
                 }
@@ -942,7 +945,7 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
                 });
             }
         } else {
-            channel().unsafe().bind(localAddress, future);
+            unsafe.bind(localAddress, future);
         }
         return future;
     }
@@ -980,7 +983,7 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
                 });
             }
         } else {
-            channel().unsafe().connect(remoteAddress,  localAddress, future);
+            unsafe.connect(remoteAddress,  localAddress, future);
         }
 
         return future;
@@ -1010,7 +1013,7 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
                 });
             }
         } else {
-            channel().unsafe().disconnect(future);
+            unsafe.disconnect(future);
         }
 
         return future;
@@ -1040,7 +1043,7 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
                 });
             }
         } else {
-            channel().unsafe().close(future);
+            unsafe.close(future);
         }
 
         return future;
@@ -1070,7 +1073,7 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
                 });
             }
         } else {
-            channel().unsafe().deregister(future);
+            unsafe.deregister(future);
         }
 
         return future;
@@ -1086,16 +1089,7 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
         if (ctx != null) {
             EventExecutor executor = ctx.executor();
             if (executor.inEventLoop()) {
-                try {
-                    ((ChannelOutboundHandler<Object>) ctx.handler()).flush(ctx, future);
-                } catch (Throwable t) {
-                    notifyHandlerException(t);
-                } finally {
-                    ChannelBufferHolder<Object> outbound = ctx.outbound();
-                    if (!outbound.isBypass() && outbound.isEmpty() && outbound.hasByteBuffer()) {
-                        outbound.byteBuffer().discardReadBytes();
-                    }
-                }
+                flush0(ctx, future);
             } else {
                 executor.execute(new Runnable() {
                     @Override
@@ -1105,12 +1099,25 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
                 });
             }
         } else {
-            channel().unsafe().flush(future);
+            unsafe.flush(future);
         }
 
         return future;
     }
 
+    private void flush0(final DefaultChannelHandlerContext ctx, ChannelFuture future) {
+        try {
+            ((ChannelOutboundHandler<Object>) ctx.handler()).flush(ctx, future);
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
+            notifyHandlerException(t);
+        } finally {
+            ChannelBufferHolder<Object> outbound = ctx.outbound();
+            if (!outbound.isBypass() && outbound.isEmpty() && outbound.hasByteBuffer()) {
+                outbound.byteBuffer().discardReadBytes();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     @Override
     public ChannelFuture write(Object message, ChannelFuture future) {
         return write(firstOutboundContext(), message, future);
@@ -1129,7 +1136,7 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
             out = ctx.outbound();
         } else {
             executor = channel().eventLoop();
-            out = channel().unsafe().directOutbound();
+            out = directOutbound;
         }
 
         if (executor.inEventLoop()) {
@@ -1143,7 +1150,12 @@ public class DefaultChannelPipeline implements ChannelPipeline {
                         "cannot write a message whose type is not " +
                         ChannelBuffer.class.getSimpleName() + ": " + message.getClass().getName());
             }
-            return flush(ctx, future);
+            if (ctx != null) {
+                flush0(ctx, future);
+            } else {
+                unsafe.flush(future);
+            }
+            return future;
         } else {
             executor.execute(new Runnable() {
                 @Override