Okay, it's been a year since I worked in the area sectors but I am sure it hasn't changed that much.
Firstly, the movement rate depends on the runways and the met conditions. Best case is 21/24 VMC, then it's 26 arrivals an hour based on gaps of 2-2-3. The 3 at the end is for a departure so theoretical movement rate is 35/36 an hour. Given it's now winter there, I imagine there's been a few instrument approach periods. Then, for 03 or 21, it's blanket 3 mins between arrivals. Don't ask about 06/24 only VMC or IMC, it's a nightmare scenario for the sequence.
That might not sound like much but this is what the flow bases his plan on and allows aircraft to call approach and be given speeds at worst; very, very rarely are you guys vectored around by approach to achieve the sequence because the delay is almost wholly absorbed by the area guys. Contrast that to here in the sandpit where we hold to give Dubai 20nm between arrivals and they still get vectored an extra 10+ track miles to get the sequence right. Which is better: flow planning a tighter sequence and approach having to fix it with vectors or almost all the delay being absorbed by area?
The NOC PTL thing is supposed to smooth the peaks of traffic; if there are still peaks that require holding, either the NOC has gotten it wrong or the traffic hasn't followed their times. Sometimes the NOC is going to get it wrong - plan on 21/24V but it ends up being 03I - 6 less planes an hour means you guys are going to do some circle work. My guess is that it is mostly people not abiding by their PTL and there is nothing the area guys can do about that. The person who can do something is the flow - if they have the list and are given the power to make queue jumpers (hate that description) stick to their PTL, things will change inside a week. Right now, they don't have that power. The flow has to sequence based on what they get presented with, not what the NOC in CB has decided is the order. Get AsA to change that, and your lives improve significantly.
lk, I have no knowledge of the situation you describe but I always trained my kiddies to look at the sequence as a whole and not just what the flow has put in the particular aircraft. Sometimes it's hard to have the time to do that - Sunday evening can be that sort of time if they are short of staff. All I can ask is please do not get rude or aggressive on the phone - I know controllers who do and think it is the height of unprofessionalism.
As to the ATIS, a while ago, the book was changed and we got told that we were to only advise that the ATIS had changed, not what the changes were. As always with things of this level, some stick strictly to the book, others keep doing what they have always done. That's all it is.