PENKO: A point not often appreciated by crew is that the fuel pumps deliver flow at a high pressure however the actual flow rate is restricted by the physical pipework - once there is a split in that pipework (as in the Air Transat case ) then the allowed flow of fuel can be dramatically larger than normal. IIRC with the AT A330 usual 2-eng burn was c. 6tons/hr. Once they opened the crossfeed the flowrate went up to 25tons/hr!!! Yes thats correct. So the fuel from the `good`side tank was squandered very quickly indeed. My reference to the A330 fuel loss (non specified area) was that the pumps should have been switched off to see if either engine would flame-out! Hence my simpathy for the crew`s reaction.
Your point about monitoring and being prepared to rethink any outcomes is valid.