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Old 2nd Oct 2010, 19:16
  #16 (permalink)  
Spitoon
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Whilst I find it difficult to support something that you don't offer as good a service as is possible (within my view of the world, anyway), I think I understand the intent of the adherence days.

We've invested in all of the systems that Eurocontrol CFMU have put in place to try to get the maximum capacity out of the system without overloading any part of it.....but we still get overloads. The planning (and, thus, the departure slots) that CFMU does is based on FPL data - the idea is that if flights follow the trajectory defined by the FPL, the plan will work. What screws things up is that controllers allow aircraft to fly a different trajectory because it can be accommodated within their sector and aircraft operators file FPLs for trajectories which they have no wish/intention of following. The result is that, further down the route, the plan falls apart. 5miles comment 'We just weigh up the odds and use experience and other available data to choose when to climb and when not to.' illustrates the problem - the CFMU system is designed to manage the 'network' as a whole, whilst individual controllers typically only see a very small part of the network.

Hopefully, what has been achieved by the adherence days is the collection of useful data which indicate just how much influence adherence to FPL trajectories actually has on the overall capacity of the European network. Armed with this information, one hopes that future development of network management systems can be better focussed. The alternative, and more scary possibility is that the politicians see that FPL adherence gives some overall improvement (however small) and decide that this should be the norm.