BOAC
the better answer, surely then, might be to remain on the taxiway, blocking other traffic until pressure on BA mounts to such an extent that they resource correctly
Not a better answer at all I don't think, unless its only BA aircraft that are being blocked.
As has been mentioned before, almost every other airline manages to get parked straight away (with the exception of BMI, SAA and other T1 operators who can't park due to BA equipment on the stand...yet another major problem!!) so blocking all other traffic penalises these airlines unfairly in my opinion.
As another ATCO who was working sun/mon afternoons, I also tried to maintain as much humour as possible (and yes it was me who littered the aircraft all over T1!!! It seemed like a good idea at the time
) it was very, very irritating to finally get traffic pushed back from a stand which an inbound was waiting for, to work like a one-armed paper hangar, zig-zagging said inbound around everyone else waiting for a gate, only for them to get there and tell us the guidance wasn't on, hence blocking the outbound as well!!
A suitable alternative would've been to just get the outbound pushed and taxied out before bringing the inbound on, but as Yellow Snow has mentioned, the finite space at EGLL means this isn't possible as the minute you free up some space, its got to be taken by another who's stand is occupied!!!
My prefered solution would be to stop thinking about bloody profits and hire more despatchers (dispatchers?!?
), but that would be too easy I suppose.
One thing I do wonder, however, is how long it'll be before the airfield operator finally bites the bullet and says "NO" to any further requests for leader vehicles to park aircraft!!
My sympathies to all the flight crew and pax!!
FB
p.s. have any of you guys noticed any kind of concerted go-slow from the tug drivers towing aircraft around the airfield??