M609, what I 'want to know' is, have these new procedures released a lot of latent capacity in the airspace or improved safety? Are you now able to handle a lot more movements per hour with fewer controllers? I admit, I don't really understand what point merge is, which is why I ask the questions. Does it really achieve anything that a good Flow Controller would not, in terms of sequencing traffic?
Yes, these are all nifty new procedures, but I (and I believe Peter) have not yet seen any evidence that they lead to any real enhancements in traffic flows, safety, or (sorry!) Flight Efficiency.
I try to keep an open mind on all these things, but that also means that I am not necessarily convinced that something is an improvement just because it is new - or because it is mandated by Brussels.