Guy,
if I might make a small comment re the speed.
We are all multi-cultural here - and the Englishes we speak don't all mean the same thing to everybody. I have often listened to "160 to 4" and wondered if that is what you really mean.
In Emirates, no matter what type we fly, we will be perilously close to breaching the stabilisation criteria, and that will probably trigger our equivalent of your two days at home. Equally in my B777 (of which EK manages to operate all 7 variants) I can arrive with a Vref of 137 one day and the next day it will be 149. It doesn't sound much but the 50 tons difference gives a major problem in managing inertia, configuration and ultimately fuel (although dispatch is suddenly giving everyone extra fuel now).
For myself, I interpret "160 to 4" given at 10 miles as meaning ok, I am doing 190 with F5, I can go ahead and start configuring. I personally aim to be F30 at 1500 feet and within 20 kts of Vref, and I am one of the adventurous ones.
ATCers, I think you have made a giant leap, and I hope we can assist and not wreck this. But it is only a start, and we all have to communicate better and co-operate.