Ready Message

[Mooncrest]

Anybody know if there is a precise definition of "Ready Message" in European ATC, or even in the world at large ? Does it mean an aircraft has received its ATC clearance, doors closed and ground support equipment cleared away, or is it the foregoing plus tug and towbar connected and pushback crew in attendance and obviously awaiting an improvement in its CTOT.

I ask as a tug driver. In my company we frequently receive requests/demands from pilots asking for tug, towbar and pushback crew to stay with their aircraft because "we've got a ready message in". Needless to say, at a busy period, we cannot always accommodate such a request as it would be at the expense of those flights which don't have a CTOT. Try explaining this to the pilots in question and the response can be...well, you can probably imagine !

Any experiences from aircrew, groundcrew, despatchers and ATC people read with interest. Ta. :ok:

[TWR]

If a crew requested and obtained a "ready message" this means they have a CTOT ("slot") and they are able to accept short-term improvements on this slot. Problem is always the same; an improvement could come any minute and could easily mean you need to start-up right away...

[DFC]

In simple terms sending a ready message is telling the flow people that the aircraft is fully boarded, all doors are closed, airbridge removed and tug in place if required so that the aircraft is indeed ready to go off blocks now

The ATC delay can be suddenly reduced to require the aircraft to push back immediately and reach the runway holding point in the defined taxi time for that airfield.

So I would say that to a certain degree, the crew are correct to ask you to remain attached.

However, as you say - your company does not have enough tugs to push back all non-restricted aircraft while leaving a tug parked with all those that are restricted and have sent a ready message.

Therefore there are a few work-rounds.

1. Your company, the operator and local ATS can discuss what the issues really are. There will be a defined taxi time and the earliest slot will be now plus the taxi time and ATC have the ability to let the aircraft take-off as much as 10 minutes after the slot time. This can at times give you some small amount of flexibility after coordinating with all concerned. i.e. you go to push another aircraft but if the new slot comes through you can either go back and do the push if not already in progress with the other aircraft. If you are in the middle of pushing the other aircraft then provided that you are not going to be more than 5 minutes getting back then it should work - but it requires both operator and ATC to agree ton this!!

2. You can offer a tow to a remote self manoeuvering stand or area where the crew can wait for the ready message without need for the tug. Watch out for APU running issues etc in this case

3. At many major airports - they vacate the stand on schedule and if they have to taxi elsewhere annd shut down again then tough. Otherwise it costs the company lots of money and inbound aircraft have to wait fpor stands which make a whole pain in the ass of the schedules....which in turn causes CTOT's !!!

[reportyourlevel]

As said by others above, sending a ready message (REA) indicated that the aircraft is ready to pushback without delay. Each airport has a set taxi-time registered with CFMU, which is the time that the aircraft is expected to take to taxi from the stand to the runway. CFMU takes the ready message and, in the best case scenario, adds the taxi time to the time the ready message is filed and makes that the new CTOT (slot).

There is an option to specify a new taxi-time in the ready meassage (called the MINLINEUP time) which allows ATC to extend the taxi-time. I think the scenario described is suitable for the use of a MINLINEUP, but I suspect some ATC units will be sceptical and won't send the REA until the tug is attached.

It is worth having a look at the CFMU ATFCM User Manual (available as a PDF (http://www.cfmu.eurocontrol.int/j_nip/cfmu/gallery/content/public/library/handbook_supplements/basic_handbook/docu_atfcm_users_manual_latest.pdf) from Eurocontrol) which contains the relevant procedure in section 4.3.3.4.

[hangten]

The following is taken from the CFMU manual:

EUROCONTROL BASIC CFMU HANDBOOK
CFMU ATFCM USERS MANUAL

4-6
4.3.3.4. Ready Procedure

For flights having already received their slot and being in a situation to depart before their CTOT (doors closed and ready to depart), the AO may ask local ATC to send a Ready (REA) message. A MINLINEUP time may also be included in the REA, to indicate the minimum time needed for that flight to get from its position to take-off. REA may be sent between EOBT minus 30 minutes and the CTOT of the flight. When the REA is filed before the EOBT, the flight is considered as having a new EOBT at this filing time and the MINLINEUP as a revised taxitime. To keep track of the difference between the
filed off block time and the effective one in ETFMS all subsequent ATFCM messages include the field(s) IOBT and possibly IOBD (IOBT = latest EOBT filed before the REA was sent). If an improvement is possible, it will be provided with an SRM.


At my airfield REA messages are sent with a minimum line up of 1, 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes as standard, but any number can be selected via a secondary system.

SRM = Slot Revision Message (i.e. a better slot - hopefully! :E).

A REA message may only be sent by ATC; Airline Operators (AOs) may send RFI (Ready For Improvement) which works slightly differently. (I don't believe a RFI message can alter the taxitime).

You can find more here:

http://www.cfmu.eurocontrol.int (http://http://www.cfmu.eurocontrol.int/cfmu/public/subsite_homepage/homepage.html)

[Mooncrest]

Thankyou everybody. So it seems the aircraft has to be equipped with tug, bar and groundcrew to justify the sending of the ready message. Jolly lucky our busiest periods for the year are beginning to wind down.

[Wojtus]

Our airports suffers from lack of tugs (or drivers) as well during rush departures, so it's agreed that crew may ask for REA without the tug connected. Just clear of handling equipment and doors closed.