Thanks to JD for the info a few post's back about cost indexes. Very interesting.
I suppose I've always had to save time on the a/c as a priority. Saving fuel is good for us but not if it makes the flight longer. This is due to low utilization of the a/c.
I think, as you radar guys have learned to expect certain speeds from each type as they enter your sector, it might be normal to expect the 777 to be doing 320kt or so and then you can plan accordingly. If it is much slower, I expect you have to make a new plan....
The other extreme would be the slower speed of a 146 or Citation II that I few once with a Vmo of 262kt (it's funny how the Vmo horn CB never gathered any dust
) We realised that we were an aerial roadblock and tried to fit as best we could. i.e. at LL, we did 160 to 2d to offset the slow Vref of around 100kt, and then tried for the 1st exit. I've done 180 to 2d in a 125 as a kind request from Geneva - no problem. Being flexible is all part of the job and is also good fun. We couldn't go fast but we could go down and slow down well.
I think the 250kt descent mentioned is fine going into say Antigua, Tobago (only jealous
) or anywhere that's quiet so long it doesn't inconvenience anyone else. The SOP's could perhaps take that into account when sneaking up on London. If I had descended the Citation at a speed close to best glide it would have been less than 200kt!
If it is within the flight envelope of the a/c and there are no real fuel or tech issues then I believe we should all try to fit in with the traffic.