# Presentation: 295219

## CROSS POLAR WORKING GROUP Edmonton Area Control Centre September 18-20, 2007 

**CROSS POLAR WORKING GROUP**** ****Edmonton Area Control Centre**** ****September 18-20, 2007**** **

## March 15th Compliance

**Objective:**
**Is it more important to meet the GRL times and altitudes; or, is it more important to follow ATC’s overall plan to accommodate **_**all**_** requests as closely as possible?**
**This is an account of what happened on Thursday, March 15th between UAL835 and AAL289. The flights were originally filed two slightly different routes to RAMEL. The controller applied a tactical re-route to UAL835 in order to establish both flights on identical routes through our airspace and into ZANC and Russia. The re-cleared routes were:**

| Aircraft | Initial 
RAMEL
Estimate | Initial
Altitude | APVD
GRL Time | APVD
GRL 
Altitude |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| UAL835 | 2239 | FL330 | 2240 | FL320 |
| AAL289 | 2251 | FL320 | 2239 | FL340 |

## Mar. 15 Simulation – 1850Z

**Notes:**
Time: 1850Z
The picture is a bit fuzzy, but shows the routes of AAL289 and UAL835 as being not laterally separated, and converging to a common point at RESUM and then RAMEL.

## Mar. 15 Simulation – 1850Z

**Notes:**
Time: 1850Z
A close up version of the previous slide.

## Mar. 15 Simulation – 1907Z

**Notes:**
Time: 1907Z
UAL835 is re-routed to join AAL289 after 70N. AAL289 is still at M.84. There were initially 9’ on estimates at the common point of 70N, and AAL289 was requesting FL340. Our re-route plan allowed both aircraft to both ultimately run at FL340, if desired, while resulting in little, if any, penalty in doing so. Although UAL was planned @ FL320 into Russia, we initially felt that this was due to the presence of the AAL flight already planned @ FL340, and that the pilot would ultimately prefer FL340 if it became available. This was corroborated by the fact UAL835 entered our airspace already at FL330. Our initial feeling was 100% correct.

## Mar. 15 Simulation – 1934Z

**Notes:**
Time: 1934Z
AAL289 is now slowed to A.83. There are 10’ on estimates at 70N, and 12’ minutes at RAMEL (2239Z and 2251Z) respectively. This should result in both aircraft being able to climb to FL340 after the 70N progress reports. AAL289 is also requesting A.85 due to their GRL time at RAMEL. It is thoroughly explained why A.83 will result in FL340 sooner rather than later (or never) along with a return to A.84 – AAL289 accepts A.83 with the explanation.

## Mar. 15 Simulation – 2018Z

**Notes:**
Time: 2018Z
Both aircraft are by 70N, and UAL835 is climbing to FL340. AAL289 has decided that it is more important to maintain A.85 to meet their GRL time than to accept FL340 and A.84. Note that there are now only 8’ on estimates at 75/95, with the faster aircraft behind, and thereby overtaking.

## Mar. 15 Simulation – 2155Z

**Notes:**
Time: 2155Z
There is now 6’ on estimates at RESUM, AAL still faster behind, and still requesting FL340! UAL835 estimate for RAMEL – 2240Z, AAL289 estimate for RAMEL – 2245Z

## Conclusion

**Further information:**
**By about 2210Z AAL dispatch contacted ANC TMU and revised their GRL time/altitude to 2256/FL340. **
**AAL would need to “lose” between 5 & 11 minutes in order to meet their new GRL time and therefore get FL340!**
**Conclusion:**
**We would have had  **_**both**_** UAL and AAL at FL340. **
**AAL was solely focused on meeting their GRL time, which they believed would guarantee them FL340. **
**This in fact guaranteed AAL FL320.**
**TRY TO MEET THE GRL TIME AS BEST AS POSSIBLE................**
**UNLESS OTHERWISE SUGGESTED AND/OR DIRECTED BY ATC!! **
**   **

**Notes:**
At about 2210Z, ANC TMU was phoned by the supervisor to see if there was an updated GRL time for AAL - apparently AAL dispatch had just contacted ANC TMU and revised their GRL time/altitude to 2256/FL340. We determined that AAL would then have to lose between 5 & 11 minutes in order to meet their new GRL time and therefore get FL340! 
Conclusion:
We had a solution that was easily executed, and that would have allowed both UAL and AAL to operate at FL340 from about 70N onwards. In fact, AAL would have been allowed to accelerate to A.84 after 70N. AAL was focused on meeting their GRL time, which they believed would guarantee them FL340. In reality, it was completely the opposite. AAL’s insistence on flying A.85 meant that they would overtake UAL; and, being that UAL was already above them at FL330, the net result was that AAL289 would never have been able to climb through UAL835 to get to FL340.   

## Questions??