Worst Airport Experience? (operating as flight crew)
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Grand Com f'Ort
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Manston, for the delight ATC there take in making everything as farking difficult as they can and never, ever, providing any help whastoever. 
A 'shyte-hole of greate tedium' in the middle of nowhere, I cannot believe that this 'airport' will be anything but a housing estate in twenty years from now, and it'll be good riddance!
A 'shyte-hole of greate tedium' in the middle of nowhere, I cannot believe that this 'airport' will be anything but a housing estate in twenty years from now, and it'll be good riddance!
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Grand Com f'Ort
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...perhaps I should add that LHR, AMS, and the various Spanish airports don't give me such a headache; generally speaking, they have their own challenges, but once you've been to each a few times, you get the hang of it... 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: NY
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Two reasons for not providing slot times off the top of my head.
First and foremost, at alomost all times of the day that we run delays the gates space that you have vacated is needed for an inbound. We try to stage ac is the correct order in a position to shut engines and wait as much of the taxi delay as possible parked and running of the apu.
Second reason from a traffic management standpoint unless every ac would accept a slot time and for the aforementioned reason they won't, it would prove to an impossible task to manage the ground sequence and reconstruct the order from many different places. (ramps, taxi line, off ramp remote parking) The taxi order or departure sequence can mean the differance between 15 minute delays if constructed well and 45 min. delays if constructed poorly.
First and foremost, at alomost all times of the day that we run delays the gates space that you have vacated is needed for an inbound. We try to stage ac is the correct order in a position to shut engines and wait as much of the taxi delay as possible parked and running of the apu.
Second reason from a traffic management standpoint unless every ac would accept a slot time and for the aforementioned reason they won't, it would prove to an impossible task to manage the ground sequence and reconstruct the order from many different places. (ramps, taxi line, off ramp remote parking) The taxi order or departure sequence can mean the differance between 15 minute delays if constructed well and 45 min. delays if constructed poorly.
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Peripatetic
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How about CDG? Dreadful indifferent biased (towards Air France) ATC.
I'm in fear of losing my life (as some have) every time I go there.
Plus there's usually a strike of some sort lurking.
I'm in fear of losing my life (as some have) every time I go there.
Plus there's usually a strike of some sort lurking.
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Polymer Records
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Bobmij, you beat me to it. We play "Give way to the Air France..." Bingo whenever we visit CDG;-
Choose 3 types of Air France operated aircraft each for your Bingo cards. Only problem is the game is over so quickly.
Choose 3 types of Air France operated aircraft each for your Bingo cards. Only problem is the game is over so quickly.
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: LHR/EGLL
Age: 45
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From delays on the ground to delays in the air, nightmare taxying round WIP, stand guidance, congestion, disruption due to minor issues that other airports would shrug off, de-icing on stand followed by one hour delay, having to wait till you're fully ready for your 20 minute start-up delay, ground transport, customs, security - SECURITY - Oh my sweet God Security, where do they get off?, hotels, taxi drivers, rip-off Britain
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: London
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Man T2, worst by far - security - do your job by all means, but don't be a complete 
with it, long walks - generally without travelators working. Dreadful terminal layout, makes one feel like a laboratory rat in some horrible experiment.
with it, long walks - generally without travelators working. Dreadful terminal layout, makes one feel like a laboratory rat in some horrible experiment.
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow
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HM79,
I understand how busy and stressful it must be working as a ground controller in JFK, however I believe a lot of the problem stems from the fact that usually the same instructions are issued to local carriers as the long haul internationals.
If a longhaul carrier has 2 flights a day into JFK, it could have been many months since the flight crew has operated there, and to expect them to know the nuances of the taxiway system is unrealistic.
Added to that, the (sometimes) lack of standard phraseology gets very confusing. I am a native English speaker, however I have found the instructions issued on the ground frequency (including at LAX... not just a JFK thing) very non-standard and confusing.
If you wish to improve the service, I think a much more realistic expectation of peoples ability to understand your instruction at the pace that you give them would help. After 16 hours on the flight deck, your brain doesn't work fast enough to comprehend some of the instructions given at the speed of light.
I understand that it is a busy environment, but perhaps put yourself in the shoes of the guys trying to navigate a very large aircraft (larger than the airport is designed for) around a complex and poorly signposted taxiway system, and just slow things down for them a bit. Speak as fast and as loosely as you like for the local carriers, but use the old KISS principle for those that aren't regulars at the airport.
I understand how busy and stressful it must be working as a ground controller in JFK, however I believe a lot of the problem stems from the fact that usually the same instructions are issued to local carriers as the long haul internationals.
If a longhaul carrier has 2 flights a day into JFK, it could have been many months since the flight crew has operated there, and to expect them to know the nuances of the taxiway system is unrealistic.
Added to that, the (sometimes) lack of standard phraseology gets very confusing. I am a native English speaker, however I have found the instructions issued on the ground frequency (including at LAX... not just a JFK thing) very non-standard and confusing.
If you wish to improve the service, I think a much more realistic expectation of peoples ability to understand your instruction at the pace that you give them would help. After 16 hours on the flight deck, your brain doesn't work fast enough to comprehend some of the instructions given at the speed of light.
I understand that it is a busy environment, but perhaps put yourself in the shoes of the guys trying to navigate a very large aircraft (larger than the airport is designed for) around a complex and poorly signposted taxiway system, and just slow things down for them a bit. Speak as fast and as loosely as you like for the local carriers, but use the old KISS principle for those that aren't regulars at the airport.
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Out of a Suitcase
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You can always think of the all the non-standard phraseology at JFK as a warm-up to the actual clearance. You know like - "I want you to take your plane and go straight ahead and when you see Blah blah airlines, I want to you follow them and then take your plane and turn right on Alpha, and then left on Juliet....."
There's nothing like listening to an annoyed New Yorker giving you the What For. (As long as they're not giving it to me
. Oops..I think my number's just come up...
There's nothing like listening to an annoyed New Yorker giving you the What For. (As long as they're not giving it to me. Oops..I think my number's just come up...
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: United Arab Emirates
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Yerevan(Armenia)
For me that's this one.I used to fly there many years ago and of course it is not congested but the rwy is a nightmare: you could hardly read your instruments during take-off because the runway is plenty of holes!!one engineer on board plus wheel kit on this special flight.happy not to go there anymore
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: 3Rd Rock From The Sun
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Worst by far
Yes, all very fair comments and I will agree that some of those airports really do blow.
But has anybody been to Muscut International Airport recently. Combine delays with the mind numbing Inshalaaa ground staff and you will agree with me.
Its even worse during Ramadan.
But has anybody been to Muscut International Airport recently. Combine delays with the mind numbing Inshalaaa
ground staff and you will agree with me.Its even worse during Ramadan.
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: land
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virga67
Disagree with you about AMS controllers etc.
I have seen tower work 3 different R/W's with VFR traffic (2 banner towers) overhead. The controllers in general were, up to 10 years ago, very compertent and slick. Could you amagine that happening at any other large international airport?
Disagree with you about AMS controllers etc.
I have seen tower work 3 different R/W's with VFR traffic (2 banner towers) overhead. The controllers in general were, up to 10 years ago, very compertent and slick. Could you amagine that happening at any other large international airport?
