Sorry folks, dinner is nearly ready and I haven't had time to trawl through all the posts - however...............................
Our flight plans are produced by Jeppeson vis Bytron. They calculate a fuel burn based on a variety of things, wind, route, etc but the descent is usually planned on an economical thrust to idle at TOD basis.
Now if you ATC guys ask us to do something often a lot different to what we would really like to do, my fuel burn goes up be a couple or 3 hundred kilos on the 320 but by up to a tonne on the 330.
I don't fly around on fumes, never have, never will but it just seems ludicrous that you have a secret and we aren't told.
Give our flight planners the info, they will factor it into our plans, we won't creep down at 500 feet per minute because I really don't want to descend yet.
Yes, get out on fam flights, see how we operate and perhaps then you will realise why we gripe at such matters.
Yes dear,I'll have the Merlot please...