Ooooo, I love this one Chaps
I sit on an airspace user group, do Fam Flights with MAN ATC folk and my Bro is a retired ATC Flight Checker.
What really pisses me off is the fact that in our carbon footprint, tree hugger, save a bit of gas world, we are being forced down early and at more and more restrictive levels - 270 at LIFFY is 4500 feet low on profile into MAN.
Now, if the great and the good of NATS and Shannon determine that this helps offset any holding at a low level, then fair do's - I don't have a problem.
I just wish that please, somewhere, the front end and the steerer's are actually discussing what each department want and can reasonably achieve to help us save fuel. 270 at LIFFY costs us, on an A330, about 500kgs of fuel on each and every descent, say 3 of our aeroplanes each day, 365 days a year, that is 547.5 Tonnes of fuel per year............... I'm sorry, when you multiply that up, it is an aweful waste of fuel just because the ATC guys say we have to comply.
You ATC guys and gals do a wonderful job, don't get me wrong, I just hate the inefficiency of 'the system' that drives it and don't know how or who to contact
