I noticed a sudden change in Spain last week and the controller confirmed to another aircraft that they were no longer giving directs as it was messing up flow control. The additional fuel burn and environmental impact over the year will probably make the BP disaster pale into insignificance. We could easily be talking a couple of hundred kilos per aircraft. There really could not be a better time to push for a reduction in the number of ATC authorities. As has been widely publicised the Spanish are not the lowest cost provider.
