ATCO1962
Your point is taken and I am aware there is a lot I don't know and can't see, but it is a difficult pill to swallow to be denied a flight level that the notams allow, yet told "not allowed" at all, and not due to traffic. It as if someone just moves the goal line more than normal and causes us to swallow gas, and extra 3,6 tons in the last 3 hours. Thank goodness we started with 146 tons, however, we landed with a lot less than expected, but above absolute minimum.
The aircraft carries contingency, and who is to say that it is available as it might have been used up already in getting that far after 12 hours of flight until then, so it can't be considered it will be available.
As you do, we too read the millions of pages of notams and plan the expected and unexpected, however, the unexpected goes to extreme when the Trivandrum controllers tell us no other levels allowed, descend now and we are on the most southern westbound route believing we have understood the notams correctly and planned accordingly. FL300, FL340 and FL400 available to westbound traffic to KITAL, but all in all, only F300 allowed, other levels not allowed.
We fly NAT (north Atlantic Track system), many levels and many airways for many miles with less radio clutter than the two hours over the Arabian Sea and your point is taken to some degree.
Hopefully it is all normal now and thank you for the reply.