I find this really pathetic to say that it's absolutely right to take minimum fuel and then go in the same post with "spanish ATC is rubbish etc"...what does it say about the ability to anticipate. If you show up with the same fuel in STN and MAD....what does it really say about your "situational awareness".
Once again, the question is more what you manage to do with your fuel and anybody can blame ATC...but everybody who flies in Europe with such an extensive spanish network knows it as well and has to take this into account. It's no big news. Spanish ATC has probably been consistent with their usual performance, nothing unusual. Yes spanish ATC doesn't give any direct but I find this as pathetic to pretend to foresee ATC with 3 plots on TCAS...
I still find strange that it's a "non-event" to declare Mayday. A mayday clearly means "I was not able to foresee what's coming, I need help and can't deal with the normal procedures and course of actions with the fuel I've left".So to say, I've not been able to either uplift the amount of fuel I needed or to take the appropriate decisions relevant to the amount of fuel I uplifted. How come the FR crew were in a more difficult situation than anybody else that night?
If Mr McNamara says something then it's absolutely right. Being a
PR person in an airline just shows how much you don't know regulations and reality of the job...not even taking into account that it might not even be close to reality. You divert and you burn 69 minutes in the hold to end up in a mayday situation. Is it being stupid or what? There is Reus, Alicante and BCN just minutes around...WTF. You divert, you would go stack for 69 minutes to mayday when there are loads, loads of good opportunities available. If this is true then it's time to raise other questions.
Anyway, despite blaming spanish ATC, regulators or captains themselves...FR will still have to explain how they don't manage to anticipate all this as much as the other airlines did if it's all the same.
I'm still amazed that people can find normal to use a mayday...
Found on an internet WX website...
TAF LEMD 261700Z 2618/2724 16012KT 9999 FEW050
TX34/2618Z TN19/2705Z
BECMG 2619/2621 VRB05KT
TEMPO 2618/2624 SHRA SCT040TCU
PROB40 TEMPO 2618/2623 VRB15G25KT TSRA SCT040CB
BECMG 2709/2711 24010KT
PROB40 TEMPO 2710/2718 SHRA FEW040TCU=