There is a lot of very good and informative postings and exchanges so far.
That was exactly the goal of starting this thread.
Companies names are not important. I just wanted to know if other airlines were having similar issues, and if so, how you all handle them.
I think it is very important to maintain the "Captains Authority" in these challenging economic times by using all the resources available, while remembering commercial interests of our companies.
But SAFETY should never be compromised under any circumstances.
I know the ash clouds are back in Europe, and will take the attention away from this thread somewhat, but please keep them coming.
Thanks for all the well thought out replies.