A good trick at FCO is to sit at the junction where the taxiway for the full length of 25 (Twy B?) splits in two and wait until there's a space at the front.:E

@HF

That's a good one.

Next time I'll try it:ok:

It also has the advantage of blocking the taxiway from the right so Alitalia can't sneak passed that way.

You didn't hear it from me though.:oh:

from the Vatican...
 

Why does Benedict XVI kisses the ground after deplaning the flights...?
Surviving Alitalia flight... I would kiss the ground too...
:}
Holy contrails

@belargusa

Today maybe WE are a little bit nasty.:O

Nevertheless, I always like your inputs here...:D

Besides the CTOT there may still be restrictions on the departure flow of a specific SID. E.g. in Frankfurt NAT departures may have to wait for a 5 minutes interval, so it may make sense to pull one or two Northbound and otherwise unrestricted departures in between. Happens every day, looks unfair, but is not.

Do the math guys: plenty of AZ aircraft in FCO, likewise IB in MAD.
Hence chances are high to be behind one.
I sat behind at least 6 or 7 limey fruit airplane in LHR. And I had more than 2 BA landing up front in MAN. Shocking. However I hate LH in FRA the most. Wherever you look, that ugly yellow crow is around. Scary.

3m,

Yup that can happen, but at a 'fair' airport you wait some days and go to the front of the queue on others. When thats the case, I don't worry knowing that ATC are just trying to maintain traffic flow.

What Blackball describes happens daily at FCO and other airfields. I'm not going to say all Italian airfields because I have been 'helped' at many and I thank those ATC'ers. But at FCO its pretty similar on most visits!

Blackball! After all these years how come you are only just getting frustrated? Is the BB punctuality record suffering so that you only arrive on time rather than 20 mins early every time! Hope you are well....Live at the barbers....:D

@his dudeness

it's actually not a crow, you might want to make a closer observation next time you're in FRA...:p

I thought it was a Condor?:confused:

Lufthansa birdie is a crane
 

It's definitely supposed to be a crane, although it's lost most of the details in its various incarnations since 1918.

General education of some Pilots is not that great..... Condor is a Bird as well but the subsidary Company of Lufthansa. Colourful Birds are now more common in Aluminium these days.

Fly safe and land happy (No Birdstrikes please)

NG

To be honest I thought, (without having the pictures in front of me), that the bird logo on LH and Condor was the same but blue on yellow for LH and yellow on blue for Condor! Haven't seen either for ages, the memory fades, it has NOTHING to do with education Herr. B737NG;)

I thought this was about FCO nepotism? Whats a Germanic logo got to do with it?

Try flying for a middle eastern carrier anywhere and see what delays you get. Even in the home base there is no favouritism. Cathay freighter carrying rubber dog-!!!! calls ready first, going the same direction, goes first, as opposed to what we are carrying.....hmmmm seemed to have shot myself down there:}

Had a slot out of FCO heading toward Rhodes. They would not let us go until the minute was up for the slot. Seemed unusual that the med was pretty quiet that evening, and no level change was denied. Our first sign of another aircraft on any similar route was in Damascus airspace.
Point being that eight Alitalia aircraft launched before us.

And with regard to the full length tactics on 25, it's the intersection departures that amaze me.... Only after the clearance/push-back radio fiasco that one has to endure.

halas

Italian ATC, get cheaper rides with AZ
 

Hi there,

Apparently, Italian ATC get ID-tickets with with AZ, so there is a unwritten law...Don't bite the hand that feeds you.....

Been flying out of Italy for 3 years, and have heard this from diff. sources...

It's not just in FCO, but all over Italy, once, flying into CTA ( Catania ) we were vetored and cleared for the ILS before a AZ, the AZ said in Italian to the ATC that " He should know better ".....

Happy landings ( even if later, when in Rome )

I think you should try to look for some different and deeper explanations than "nationalism", as Italians are on the contrary very "esterophile" people, with absolutely no form of nationalism as you can maybe expect in France.I guess that this case could be due to some expiring slot problem, and that the Italian Controller failed to explain the situation. That I would expect.Then, about the Rocco and Vinnie thing, nobody is named Vinnie in Italy, that is a name for Italian-American people, maybe you've seen too many gangster movies...I just believe that if you want to find failures in any people in this world, you will easily find for any population.Italians make no difference.This discussion appears to be, on the contrary, not really techinical but just a form of entertainment, since it gives you detail about how Ferrari wins in Formula 1 or Italy wins World Cups in football, but no real guess of why that happened.I actually expected something more serious.FabrizioRome ACC

And no, Alitalia does not give ANYTHING to Italian ATC.Your information are outdated.FabrizioRome ACC

Last two years I have been flying regulary to FCO for Vueling. I have only occasionally seen some preference for Italian carriers but that could be for slot purposes.... Greetz WB,

Hi BOAC, you maybe right but I recall the "Tale of the Ancient Mariner", I beleve his luck became cursed when he downed an Albatros, not seen many of them at FCO though.
Cough happy to say that despite being delayed we still made it back into EDI 5 mins early or before EDI ATC shut R/W 24 for its nightly face lift.
I wonder when Scotland gets its independance will we get preferential treatment here?
Just remember "No Pressure".

Who is 1st for takeoff...?
 

You youngsters complain about FCO...? You make me laugh...
Compare that to "airline wars" in the USA... To be first for takeoff.
xxx
Sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s...
Los Angeles LAX Airport. Two 727 race for the active runway.
Both are proceeding from LAX to SFO.
Ground control tells them to contact tower for takeoff.
PSA 123 says "ROGER" - Continental 987 says "ROGER"...
xxx
Both call the tower, saying "READY FOR DEPARTURE"...
The tower asks "WHO IS FIRST...?" -
Continental pilot says "LAX, WILL LET CONTINENTAL GO FIRST - PSA 123"
PSA pilots are fuming... Continental faked to be PSA on the R/T...!
So, Continental is cleared for takeoff. PSA pilots are still fuming.
xxx
When at about 80-100 Knots, a LOUD FIRE BELL comes on the frequency.
Continental rejects the takeoff, and taxied off the active.
FIRE BELL, NO WARNING LIGHT... but these guys are well trained...
LAX called PSA.. "PSA 123, CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF"...
xxx
No need to tell you WHO keyed the microphone, and tested their fire bell/lights.
:eek:
Happy contrails