Hey good to see another ACC controller with no effing idea
If the wind changes and pilots will not accept the landing runway what do you do ? If we'd left it later it would've got worse. By the way when we do give you free flow after holding how about actually vectoring them to the minima required? We lost count of the amount of 15 - 18 nm gaps when we were at 10nm thro' the gates. If we sequenced that badly, you ACC guys would throw your dummies out of the cot!
As for staff shortages, we tell everyone who asks, do emirates know, course they do. We're losing guys a hell of alot faster than we are hiring. Our terms are not what they once were and the only people who come out anymore are people out for a holiday.
As for standardisation, ask Shoot The Gap, it is hard for a controller to knowingly delay people for no good reason. The rules here don't count as a good reason to many. So some watches are better at sticking to the letter to the law and some better at working within it's constraints.
Whilst throwing muck around, lets not forget the customers, especially our favourite local airline, who dawdle on the runway and need telling twice about everything. This by no means goes for all of there pilots but a big chunk. At least you know what you're getting with our east european friends.
FT