EZY - Lay off the ATC please
Can someone tell me why EZY out of CIA like to blame the Rome ACC for ”delays” caused when they ask for a non-standard departure ? It’s happening a lot lately. It seems that EZY often requests a departure off 33 instead of the duty R/W 15 and moan when they must wait to be fitted in. This was the case last Thursday (18th) when the captain whinged to us pax about the “usual war” with ATC whilst we were waiting for start. Although the flight was a wet-lease by European, the “real" EZY also do this a lot. Later in the flight she again referred to the so-called “struggle” with Italian ATC.
Now this is just not on. If you elect, as you certainly may, to fly a non-standard departure and thereby pick up a delay while the ACC tries to insert you into the traffic flow, it is you who are being uncooperative, IMHO, not ATC. Their sole interest is to get you on your way and away, they have no interest in a “war”, believe me.
So, why try to blame the Italian ATC when it is you who are being difficult ? Try asking for a departure against the traffic flow at LHR or STN and see how you get on.
I believe we would all get home earlier if we took our slot time and did not sit 20 minutes or more on the ground waiting for T/O clearance off the non-duty runway. This can translate into a 45 minute earlier arrival at our own front door. That’s what I call being on time, not exploiting the completely unrealistic timetable by bragging to the pax ”We are five minutes ahead of schedule”, simply because, I suspect, we want to save a little fuel.
Rant over.