Now then, from the eurocontrol broschure:
Daily across Europe, regulations are put in place to protect ATC
from receiving more traffic than the controller can handle safely.
However, it happens that more aircraft than planned enter these
protected sectors, exceeding their capacities by more than 10%,
which is regarded as an ATFCM “over-delivery”. When investigating
those reported occurrences in most cases it is found that additional
flights entered the concerned sector as a result of:
The guys at Eurocontrol tried it before will try it again - I this thing as part of their campaign against quick air traffic. Safety as an argument will win hands down every time, but in reality it is about staffing. Some of the national control agencies have squeezed the personnel to the limit and beyond. Apparently they are unable toget their act togehter.
■ Not flying at the initial requested flight level (RFL); or,
Which I will do for safety or ecoreasons, the winds and weather systems often just don´t stay in their IFPS approved ways.
■ Departing at times different from the original estimated off-block
time (EOBT) or calculated take-off time (CTOT); or,
Oh my god, shocking, there delays or ealier departures. PATHETIC.
Go and tell the pax, refueller, handler, apron controller, airport planners etcetc. I want to be home on time, not my fault.
■ Arriving in the sector earlier or later than originally planned; or
Again, wind, WX, ever changing loads etcetc.
■ Deviating from their original planned route
(often direct routeing (DCT)).
Aha, badbad controllers, givin us directs. We even more bad, requesting them.
If Eurocontrol continues to work their 'Blocksystem' as the rail road does, there is little flexibility in the system. Flexibility is provided by the PEOPLE controlling and their assistents. The grand scheme is: less and less people, therefore higher profits, and if our electronic gagdets cant give us the flexibility, lets make the system rigid, so that the friggin clients do what we want them to do.
Brussels is out of control, clearly.