ATC Restrictions and more!

[king_rollo]

Recently I flew back with RyanAir from Trieste to Stansted. The flight was delayed by just over an hour. The pilot stated that this was due to "air traffic control restrictions on the previous three legs" of that crew/plane's tour that day. What does this actually mean?

Also a couple of other things caught my attention.. we cruised at 40,000ft. I have never been on a plane so high! (not that I fly that much) Is this common for an internal european flight?

And finally why were we asked to put the window sun blinds in the up position for landing (my girlfriend asked this and I could not think of a good answer without bs'ing!)

Help on any or all of the above would be very welcome!

[moleslayer]

ROLLO............
Your 1st point refers to the ATC practice of reducing the traffic flows along airways & thro' sectors, frequently due to the simple lack of controllers available. This will increase the time sitting on the ground waiting for the 'approved departure time' commonly known as 'the slot' to come round.I'm sure an ATCer will have a lot more to say on this subject !!re: privateisation etc.

Point 2 : Yes ! modern short haul jets, Airbus A319/320/321 & Boeing 737/757/767 will climb to 39/40/41000ft on as short a route as London to Belfast !!

And finally the Civil Aviation Authority who vet & guide the procedures Airlines use to operate the aircraft , insist that passengers are able to see outside the Aircraft in the event of an emergency occuring on landing. For instance an engine fire would require an evacuation, and it is essential that all passengers are able to quickly determine which emergency exits are available to be used without first raising all the sunblinds to look outside !!