Originally Posted by
172_driver
SFO has two tightly spaced runways. I have never had parallel approaches into LHR. Perhaps on the odd occassion it happens, but not regularly. At arrival peak there can be significant holding into LHR though.
Both places has great ATC working the traffic and they seem to the best with the cards they've been delt.
The runways at LHR are too close (just!) for parallel approaches, so you won't get parallel approaches there. (If any 'appear' to be parallel, that is simply for other operational 'convenience' but the spacing will still be the same as if on the same approach.) The runways at LHR are about twice as far apart as those at SFO?
Approaches into LHR are on the ILS. Even when I flew into there in a Cessna 310 (with an 'Ambulance' callsign!) in CAVOK during the early morning 'rush', it was an ILS approach. I have flown into there many times in a 'regional jet' and every approach in all conditions was an ILS. Yes, there can be some holding and if I remember correctly, LHR required that 20 mins holding fuel should be available even if 'no delays' were expected. Why doesn't SFO stipulate the same?
I have also flown many approaches into AMS (before and after the new '
Voor Politieke Bedoel' -- the ILS ident! -- runway!) at all times of the day (and night!). It was always an ILS unless a visual approach was
offered to us for our convenience (with us being 'considered local' operators) and all those that I remember were in good visibility and daytime.
(The controllers at LHR and AMS are the best that I have worked with.)
From what I read on here, SFO appears to be 'a large GA airfield' that has big airliners flying into it!