Spainish ATC are sticking absolutely rigidly to thou shalt no take off before your STD slot or no slot. My understanding of this is that they are saying that in the absence of a CTOT your STD becomes your CTOT. Not sure if this in an official rule or something the Spanish have made up, probably the latter.
I was told by someone, so this is second possibly third hand, that Spanish ATC management were fighting the work to rule by totally enforcing the work to rule. I.E. Instigating discipilinary action should they be broken. Hence no directs or earlier departures. "Overloading sectors with unplanned or extra movements" I believe is the official reason.
I just assume my earliest airborne is now my STD. If you're early just tell the pax it's the dirty dagos again and have another cuppa !
I've given up getting annoyed by the Spanish it is a pointless exercise they aren't going to change no matter how irrate you get with them. All you do is wind yourself up which is exactly what they want. As Clint would say "Don't give the ******** the satisfaction !".
Last edited by CheekyVisual; 25th Aug 2011 at 11:31.