Tea Breaks at MME ATC
you get what you pay for.
there is so much pressure on air traffic service providers to cut costs that these interuptions in service are inevitable, the only surpirise is that they don't happen more often and at bigger units.
Airline management want so much to cut their navigation charges they don't seem to realise how much it's costing them in fuel and their own staff costs when a controller goes sick.
So the next time you're sitting in the hold waiting for a controller to finish their break don't get mad at them, get mad at your own management for trying to save pennies at the cost of pounds.
Airline management want so much to cut their navigation charges they don't seem to realise how much it's costing them in fuel and their own staff costs when a controller goes sick.
So the next time you're sitting in the hold waiting for a controller to finish their break don't get mad at them, get mad at your own management for trying to save pennies at the cost of pounds.
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: UAE
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Only just seen this thread and my response is to a comment a bit further up the page. The comment was along the lines of "I had to hold because the controller hadn't turned up on time" I guess pilots never get stuck in traffic on route to work. For some reason (can't imagine why) traffic on the way to work is not a predictable quantity. With small units operating on staffing which works fine when no one is ill but falls apart when winter sniffles fly around the air con like SARS, then there are times for matters of SAFETY that ATC positions cannot open or have to be closed. Night shifts are normally the longest shift we can work and I can't imagine anyone is fit to work into the morning shift to accomodate staffing issues. Would someone fancy flying in from States and then be told pop across to another plane to do couple more sectors as FO has gone sick and the standby pilot (what a luxury that would be!) is stuck on M25. Oh you can't do that can you, as it's illegal. I shall step off my soap box now 
Join Date: Dec 2003
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Oh Diddims, a year ago someone was slightly put out and had to hold because the controller was having their legally required break - Oz would love to have to have controllers screen time regulated.
Come to OZ mate we don't bother with holding we just close whole blocks of airspace - some larger than the UK entire FIRs cause we're running out of controllers - and turn them into TIBAs (a la african airspace).
Last night 4 controllers looked after an area larger than the European airspace for 4 hours straight with only a quick runs to the loo (if they were lucky) or to get a tea/coffee.
And the night before a strip of airspace up the Qld coast approx 250nm x 100nm 0-60,000ft was uncontrolled (TIBA) from 2330-0500 local.
The sooner ANSPs stop treating Air Traffic Control as a business to make money from and get back to providing the service as agreed to in the convention the better off everyone - management, controllers, airlines and the travelling public will be.
30-60 min holding - luxury
Come to OZ mate we don't bother with holding we just close whole blocks of airspace - some larger than the UK entire FIRs cause we're running out of controllers - and turn them into TIBAs (a la african airspace).
Last night 4 controllers looked after an area larger than the European airspace for 4 hours straight with only a quick runs to the loo (if they were lucky) or to get a tea/coffee.
And the night before a strip of airspace up the Qld coast approx 250nm x 100nm 0-60,000ft was uncontrolled (TIBA) from 2330-0500 local.
The sooner ANSPs stop treating Air Traffic Control as a business to make money from and get back to providing the service as agreed to in the convention the better off everyone - management, controllers, airlines and the travelling public will be.
30-60 min holding - luxury
