slot delays and CDRs
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slot delays and CDRs
Hi guys,
I have two separate questions here from an airline pilot's perspective.
The first is what exactly is a CDR route? What are they used for?
The second is about slot delays. Very often I am delayed on the ground at an airport for 1 hour or more due to ATC slot delays, I regularly ask ATC where this slot has been generated from, often times they will know and say for example 'Gatwick arrival slot' or something like that, but many times they don't know, but I believe there is some sort of ATC code for slots? I have heard before ATC giving another pilot the slot delay code and he worked out where the delay was caused by this code. Is it possible for any ATC guys to post the Slot Delay decode? If there is some sort of decode for it....?
Thanks guys.
I have two separate questions here from an airline pilot's perspective.
The first is what exactly is a CDR route? What are they used for?
The second is about slot delays. Very often I am delayed on the ground at an airport for 1 hour or more due to ATC slot delays, I regularly ask ATC where this slot has been generated from, often times they will know and say for example 'Gatwick arrival slot' or something like that, but many times they don't know, but I believe there is some sort of ATC code for slots? I have heard before ATC giving another pilot the slot delay code and he worked out where the delay was caused by this code. Is it possible for any ATC guys to post the Slot Delay decode? If there is some sort of decode for it....?
Thanks guys.
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A CDR is a conditional route. This is an airway or an Upper Air Route which is only available at certain times of the day and when certain military areas are not active.
For example, there are several conditional routes which transit the North Sea which are only available when the fast pointy military jets are not playing in their military airspace. As I recall from many years ago, D323 was said danger area and when this was active several of the conditional routes were unavailable.
This is an extract from the UK AIR ENR section which details a little more about the CDRs.
For example, there are several conditional routes which transit the North Sea which are only available when the fast pointy military jets are not playing in their military airspace. As I recall from many years ago, D323 was said danger area and when this was active several of the conditional routes were unavailable.
This is an extract from the UK AIR ENR section which details a little more about the CDRs.
Routes are used as described below.
(a) Category One — A route which is permanently plannable during the times published in ENR 3.
(b) Category Two — A route which is only plannable in accordance with the conditions stated in the daily Conditional Route
Availability Message (CRAM) issued by the Central Flow Management Unit (CFMU).
(c) Category Three — A route which is not plannable per se but may be used tactically at the discretion of ATC.
A CDR may have more than one Category.
(a) Category One — A route which is permanently plannable during the times published in ENR 3.
(b) Category Two — A route which is only plannable in accordance with the conditions stated in the daily Conditional Route
Availability Message (CRAM) issued by the Central Flow Management Unit (CFMU).
(c) Category Three — A route which is not plannable per se but may be used tactically at the discretion of ATC.
A CDR may have more than one Category.
In principle, the military have to plan their activity at least 24 hours prior to the activation of the danger area. Conditional routes are closed as per the booking and, as described above, the CFMU publish to operators which CDRs are closed and which CDRs are available.
Hope this helps a little bit.
Kind Regards
Doody
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RE slot delays.
I imagine it may depend on which airport you go to. I work at an airport which does not use traditional paper flight progress strips, but uses what we call EFPS (electronic strips). When a flight plan receives a slot, the strip flashes on the screen and when you click it, you get a pop up saying the new CTOT and a 'reason' for it. Unfortunately, these 'reasons' are very vague. Usually 'ATC Staff/equipment', 'Weather En-route', or 'destination airfield restrictions'.
On top of this, this reason is also preceded by a code, which if you look up, you can, eventually find out a more detailed reason. Usually down to the particular sector. Alternatively, and the method i tend to use, is ring London Flow Control directly who can usually give a good reason, particularly if its a UK restriction.
Anyway, the reason i say it depends on airfield is because i imagine (having never worked at airport without EFPS) without EFPS it is a lot harder to know the reason at all (someone can vouch for this im sure), you simply get the slot.
So, you can get the code, even at a non EFPS airfield, but the reason you will get from some and not others is simply that it is, at the moment, very time consuming, and a real hassle when busy to find out anything concrete...sometimes with code, it doesnt help!
Feel free to ask the controller, if they are too busy..you might not get answer...no harm in asking. Hopefully with EFPS there will, in the future be more detailed reasons we get.
I imagine it may depend on which airport you go to. I work at an airport which does not use traditional paper flight progress strips, but uses what we call EFPS (electronic strips). When a flight plan receives a slot, the strip flashes on the screen and when you click it, you get a pop up saying the new CTOT and a 'reason' for it. Unfortunately, these 'reasons' are very vague. Usually 'ATC Staff/equipment', 'Weather En-route', or 'destination airfield restrictions'.
On top of this, this reason is also preceded by a code, which if you look up, you can, eventually find out a more detailed reason. Usually down to the particular sector. Alternatively, and the method i tend to use, is ring London Flow Control directly who can usually give a good reason, particularly if its a UK restriction.
Anyway, the reason i say it depends on airfield is because i imagine (having never worked at airport without EFPS) without EFPS it is a lot harder to know the reason at all (someone can vouch for this im sure), you simply get the slot.
So, you can get the code, even at a non EFPS airfield, but the reason you will get from some and not others is simply that it is, at the moment, very time consuming, and a real hassle when busy to find out anything concrete...sometimes with code, it doesnt help!
Feel free to ask the controller, if they are too busy..you might not get answer...no harm in asking. Hopefully with EFPS there will, in the future be more detailed reasons we get.
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In our tower the assistants have a display that gives the slot info-C/S CTOT etc, this gives a code outlining the delay, sometimes this is self evident ie landing rate at destination, or say London middle sector-but often we cannot decode it without asking FMP-we will ask for you if time permits!
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slots
The slots can also be of many "hidden" reasons. If you transit several regulated sectors there will be a slot issued only for the most limiting sector. The slots in the other sectors then follow automatically because of your filed speed - in short the traffic in the less restricted sectors are slotted around you to allow you to reach your most restrictive sector on time. Since this is the same for all acft you can imagine that this can get incredibly complex and probably not even be close to possible without computers running ....
So the official reason will be the most limiting sector but that doesnt automatically mean that you would get a lot less delay even if the problems in this sector mysteriously disappears....
So the official reason will be the most limiting sector but that doesnt automatically mean that you would get a lot less delay even if the problems in this sector mysteriously disappears....
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A decode of the reasons for regulation can be found in the ATFCM users manual here:
http://www.cfmu.eurocontrol.int/cfmu...12_0_FINAL.pdf
You will have to scroll down to page 105 of that document.
The codes are fairly generic though, for example "En-route delay due to ATC staff shortage".
For more info you need to read the ANM updates. They are published on AFTN and SITA every time a new regulation is published. We put as much info as we think is useful but we are limited to the number of characters we can use.
Regulations created at D -1 (pretactical) are also described in the Network News which is available through the CFMU internet application (CIA).
EUROCONTROL - Access to CFMU Internet Application (CIA) Click on the "Public access" link
An example of an entry from today's is:
LIPP
----
LIPZ TEMP CAPACITY REDUCTION EXTENDED TO 12/07/08 0300 ESTIMATED.
REF NOTAM A3595/08. TEMPORARY REDUCTION IN CAPACITIES DUE W.I.P
ON TAXIWAYS, RUNWAY AND LIGHTING.
.
ANTICIPATE UP TO 40 MINUTES DELAYS 0920-1030, 1320-1500 AND
1900-2140.
The delay code for that may read GA83 (ATFM due to RESTRICTION AT DESTINATION AIRPORT). Not terribly informative.
As previous posters have stated, the information is out there, just not that easy to access from the flight deck. We are developing systems that make all this information much easier to access, the first such development will be the Network Operations Portal (NOP), an internet based tool which will come on line early next year.
All sorts of other methods will be considered from SMS to ANMs with hyperlinks to maps and so on. If anyone has any bright ideas we are prepared to listen........
http://www.cfmu.eurocontrol.int/cfmu...12_0_FINAL.pdf
You will have to scroll down to page 105 of that document.
The codes are fairly generic though, for example "En-route delay due to ATC staff shortage".
For more info you need to read the ANM updates. They are published on AFTN and SITA every time a new regulation is published. We put as much info as we think is useful but we are limited to the number of characters we can use.
Regulations created at D -1 (pretactical) are also described in the Network News which is available through the CFMU internet application (CIA).
EUROCONTROL - Access to CFMU Internet Application (CIA) Click on the "Public access" link
An example of an entry from today's is:
LIPP
----
LIPZ TEMP CAPACITY REDUCTION EXTENDED TO 12/07/08 0300 ESTIMATED.
REF NOTAM A3595/08. TEMPORARY REDUCTION IN CAPACITIES DUE W.I.P
ON TAXIWAYS, RUNWAY AND LIGHTING.
.
ANTICIPATE UP TO 40 MINUTES DELAYS 0920-1030, 1320-1500 AND
1900-2140.
The delay code for that may read GA83 (ATFM due to RESTRICTION AT DESTINATION AIRPORT). Not terribly informative.
As previous posters have stated, the information is out there, just not that easy to access from the flight deck. We are developing systems that make all this information much easier to access, the first such development will be the Network Operations Portal (NOP), an internet based tool which will come on line early next year.
All sorts of other methods will be considered from SMS to ANMs with hyperlinks to maps and so on. If anyone has any bright ideas we are prepared to listen........
Just in case you don't deduce it from flowman's post, the ANMs themselves are also on that CIA link.
The Slot Allocation Message includes the most penalising regulation, i.e. the bottleneck that's giving you the slot. You can look up the reg on the CIA.
e.g. if you get
-REGUL LPFRA08
You can look up LPFRA08 to find:
Seq No: 51 FMP: LPPCFMP
Published: 2008-07-08 04:35 State: CHANGE
WEF: 2008-07-08 07:20 Regulation Id: LPFRA08
UNT: 2008-07-08 12:00 Reason: Aerodrome Capacity
Flight Level: ALL Traffic Volume Description: LPFR ARRIVALS
TWY CLOSED. A2027/08
The Slot Allocation Message includes the most penalising regulation, i.e. the bottleneck that's giving you the slot. You can look up the reg on the CIA.
e.g. if you get
-REGUL LPFRA08
You can look up LPFRA08 to find:
Seq No: 51 FMP: LPPCFMP
Published: 2008-07-08 04:35 State: CHANGE
WEF: 2008-07-08 07:20 Regulation Id: LPFRA08
UNT: 2008-07-08 12:00 Reason: Aerodrome Capacity
Flight Level: ALL Traffic Volume Description: LPFR ARRIVALS
TWY CLOSED. A2027/08
