The problem with slowing you down from a long way out is one quite often of level restrictions.
As a TMA Bod, we often harass the en route guys to slow you down, when delays get to 15 mins or more..... it serves several purposes.
1. It saves you fuel and absorbs some of your delay en route to the hold
2. There is no point in having you come screaming in at over 300kts, just for us to tell you on first contact "when level, reduce to holding speed" (it makes it look as if ATCOs are not planning or talking to each other, and it is not in accordance with handover SOPs between AC andTC)
3. If we slow you down enough, it quite often gives just enough room to squeeze you in without resorting to using the outer holds - Tiger, Logan etc, which AC do not like doing as it greatly impacts on their operation.
The problem with the above is because of the make up of the airspace in the south east, it is imperative that you make the level restrictions otherwise you will be in someone elses airspace. This can be coordinated on a case by case basis, but the chancs are the sector that is affected is also busy and need all their levels.
Unfortunately, AC do not always get traffic early from the previous sector, so the problem gets knocked on to TC, albeit with a bit of improvement in the situation.
As for the LAM-BIG-OCK farce - this is happening more and more often. I understand the idea of taking a couple from LAM to BIG if it prevents LOGAN holding, however any more than that and we should hold at LOGAN... it's close enough to bring things off quickly - it's as simple as the TIGER hold is to operate. Holding out to the southwest, much further away when OCK is busy is a different ball game - it can take 20 or more minutes to bring an arcraft on, by which time OCK can be empty or have several spaces!
To not use a published hold (LOGAN), and avoid doing so by moving from LAM to BIG is all very well, but not when it then means that BIG becomes so full that we have to TIGER hold or move to OCK. That is a farce and is just passing the problem on to another sector.
As for updated times, I agree with Bobblehat.... since the move it feels as if we are not getting EATs as quickly updated. The amount of times I have had to demand them is ridiculous. They should be available so that we can tell the aircraft on first contact - not a difficult thing to ask considering we get them only 50 or 60 miles from the hold!
I also have reason to question the delays that are promulgated more often - it quite often says 10-15 mins when its obvious there is no delay etc etc. Yes I can see for myself and tell aircraft the true picture, however how am I to know that although there does not seem to be much traffic, the promulgated 10-15 mins delay is actually correct because of circumstances I have not been made aware about?
Although it seems like common sense to tell Aircraft what delay I see on radar, I am really supposed to tell them what is written by the Traffic Manager, who allegedly knows the full picture
