I certainly do not want slot times. I hated them in Europe, where ATC actually knew how to utilize them. Just imagine who will be in charge of organizing the procedures in the Middle East! I can guarantee it will be chaos for years before it gets straightened out.
No offence to the guys on the front lines... the controllers... because I generally find them quite good. The procedures and restrictions placed on them must be, at the very least, annoying to them too.
I believe some ATC procedures are a factor in delays though. Arrivals, when we are told to slow down to min clean speed, only to have the next controller speed us up, or vice versa. Poor coordination.
How about one controller for clearances and one for push/start and taxi, like 90% of busy airports around the world. Plus, can someone explain to me why we have to stay with the busy controller (clearance dude) until ready to push? Then, once we can squeeze in our RT call, all he does is tell us to go over to the next controller. I could see this procedure being used under some circumstances, but not in DXB.
The other big factor is definitely the scheduling of flights. It seems EVERYONE arrives and departs at the same times throughout the day. I take extra fuel based on my projected arrival time if it falls in the middle of one of these periods for sure. Many flights on the same routings depart about the same time too. On some routes; Himalayas, Indian Ocean to Oz etc, this can cause huge fuel penalties.
I do not know the intricacies of scheduling but I think even some minor alterations would have some very positive affects for ATC and the airlines.