I think we all need to take a step back and just remember what started this thread. O'Leary is just doing what he does. There is a reason, and a good reason why NATS have not replied....because they dont need to. O'Leary is simply using excuses and trying to blame everyone else for a harsh economic reality.
He has nothing to lose from this statement, if NATS get pissed off and treat RYR differently, then he has proved his point and we will look entirely unprofessional. If it has the opposite effect and makes ATCO's work harder for RYR worrying about what has been said, then again, RYR win. Just let it go.
Lets be honest, for all this talk about professionalism and whos more to blame etc, we are as someone previously said, all under a lot of pressure to do our jobs faster and better, not only from pilot but our companies.
ATCO's are trained to be impartial...i couldnt care a less what livery the plane has, i'll move the traffic in the most expeditious and efficient way (and safest obv), i get grief off pilots (not just RYR) but i ignore it, all atcos should...its what we are paid to do!
As another poster mentioned, regardless of the requests for further climb and shortcuts, if an a/c has not followed instruction, then there are ways of dealing with this. Although i know a good moan is always good!
We at NATS should follow our companies example and ignore it and (not in our companies example) keep doing the good job we know we do day in and day out.
DAL