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Yes, lots of initiatives being put into place in the name of fuel conservation. New arrivals, departures, airspace redesigns, etc. Whenever it's possible, I always give discretionary descents to the pilots, or I'll wait for a pilot to ask for lower. (I always hated being slam dunked when I was flying...but the mentality on this seems to have changed).
The airpace system is an amazingly complex entity. Sequencing airplanes, can in fact, start across the other side of the country. We get directives pretty much everyday that state that EWR and JFK arrivals are not allowed short cuts...must stay on course...etc.
Coming from a flying background, I have a hard time explaining to my non-pilot coworkers that direct is not always best. ..for many reasons. winds, fuel, getting someplace early, and still having to hold or be spun, etc.
oh, and Ted....SWA does a good job of climbing for us. On several occasions, I've cleared a SWA out of LAS to SNA to FL400. HA!
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-mike
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