Need 'Information Freq' when Fog/disruption

[Propellerhead]

Having been 'lucky enough' to have been flying out of LHR / LGW during the recent fog I have an idea. Whenever large delays build up on the grouund (1hr+) we have to call fully ready and get in the queue. However we then have problems such as trying to arrange a pushback truck for the correct time, coordinationg de-icing for holdover times, and restless passengers needing info.

Every time, delivery gets clogged up with everyone asking for their place in the queue and likely time until push, and every time the delivery controller gets overloaded and starts getting arsy with anyone who asks. I appreciate why as he probably can't do his job with everyone asking, so why not set up a separate 'information' frequency soley for giving delay info / updates in the queue etc; leaving the delivery guy to do their job?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

The word "Staff" springs quickly to mind.................
C'mon Gonzo, tell the man I'm wrong and you're overflowing with people..

[TheOddOne]

so why not set up a separate 'information' frequency soley for giving delay info / updates in the queue etc; leaving the delivery guy to do their job?

Now that separate information channel ought to be your mobile phone ringing your own ops. GMC have no idea about tug or de-icing availability, as I'm sure you're aware, so don't look to ATC for that kind of info.

In my view, the way it should work is this:

At the onset of any period of disruption, the Airport Authority will invoke the 'Disruption Cell'. Attendees are all Handling Agents, the major Airlines, ATC and Airport Coordination. It will be cahired by a responsibly Senior Manager from the Airport. ATC will establish flow rates. The Airlines will communicate with their crews and establish readiness of aircraft to depart (fuel, doors closed etc). Handling Agents will inform the cell of equipment and staff availability, from which can be derived priorities for service for individual aircraft. Airlines will then tell their crews when they can expect equipment to attend and feed back estimated off-blocks time to the cell and to request departure through their Ops room. ATC will then feed this info back to GMC for co-ordination when the revised slot arrives on the screen.

Well, that's the way the Disruption Cell at Gatwick was set up, mostly for use during periods of snow (it used to be called the Snow Cell). It all falls down when the various parties can't/won't send staff who understand what they're doing along.

Dunno if Heathrow ever set anything like this up; obviously it could do with fine-tuning but really don't expect ATC to give out info when they're not fully in the loop.

Cheers,
TheOddOne

[Gonzo]

Staffing is a very big issue here at the moment.... But apart from that....When we have big delays, we do keep BA updated of where their a/c are in the queue by faxing over a list.

This should all be solved by CDM!!

In the old days we used to 'man and boy' Delivery, one ATCO doing 'admin' tasks and recording info on the strips, and the other using the R/T. Additionally, the Delivery Assistant would update strips with new slots, new EOBTs, re-routes etc without recourse to the ATCO.With our wonderful new electronic system, which is run on a touchscreen, only one person can use it. So the sole ATCO has to acknowledge all the changes that come through in heavy disruption, as well as keep the 'queue' up to date and monitor what's going on on Deps and the GMCs.

The limited space on the screen means only so many flights can be displayed, hence finding out what position you are in the queue if you ask is a very time consuming process if you're not on the screen at the time.Of course, Delivery is the one position where we cannot regulate the workload as we can in other positions.

[eastern wiseguy]

After many years I was always under the impression that paper strips,whilst old fashioned and clunky,were the most reliable way of processing information......seems like they still are..:uhoh: