Don't wish to alarm anybody, but...

My mate was due to fly out from Manchester yesterday with Zoom. His flight was cancelled and rescheduled to today, now flying via Gatwick...and it's delayed again - but at least there's an ETA on the GTAA website.

However - looking on there, ALL Zoom's flights into Toronto have been delayed up to 24 hours...

Hmmm...

Zoom explains the reasons on the UK bit of its website (in Flight News). It appears that its whole schedule has been buggered up by officialdom

Evidentally they are having to fly to Bermuda and New York by a much longer route from the UK (via Greenland) because their route application hasn't been dealt with properly by officialdom

But is that the real reason or is it just a convenient excuse for the masses?

Or in reality was it some berk didn't get the route application in to the appropriate authorities in time?

We'll never really know.

Who knows

I got seriously drunk with an air traffic controller last night. Messes are dangerous places.

Unfortunately we most likely will never know the truth.

Unfortunately the airlines are not unlike any other organization, they are never in the wrong.

The number of times I've heard the same old "It's not our fault we didn't leave on time it was Air Traffic Control delays". When in reality you have 7-8 or more flights all scheduled to leave at a set time, it's fairly obvious that they are not all going to get off the ground at that time. But it's never the airlines fault they pushed back from the gate on time so the delay must be ATC. :curse::curse::curse::curse:

Steve you are starting to come across as one of those 'bitter old person's' that need to be blocked for insistent whinging... now tell me, how did you get from being such a cute little black & white baby to such a pessimistic old yolk like us?! Was it lack (or too much) breastfeeding? PLease tell as me and Brit OH are planning to have lil un's ourselves in the next couple of years *lol*

Hey, I calls 'em as I sees 'em.

Not my problem if you don't like what I have to say.

I did tests and study at one point while trying to become an Air Traffic Controller. Didn't make it through, but I found the whole experience fascinating. I'm also fascinated by the aviation industry in general.

It's amazingly easy to screw up an airline schedule due to tight turnaround times. There is no room for slack and a delay of 1 aircraft for a couple of hours can have knock on effects that last days or even weeks in some cases.

It's also amazingly easy for flight plans to get messed up. Airlines have to bid on airroutes and missing a bid or even a late flight can get you knocked to a longer more inefficient route quite easily. If you're late or have messed up some paper filing and routes are excessively busy you can get bumped from the route altogether and made to fly a completely different one which can be well out of the way.

Quite right Steve. Keep on doing what you do.

Thanks for the inside info Steve

Steve_P. I thought you were really good as Selwyn Froggatt

Fair enough really *lol*

Is that a good thing or a bad thing.
I have no idea at all who Selwyn Froggatt is.

Edit: Ahhh, just did a Google search and found that you are talking about Bill Maynard I still have no real idea who he is but have been likened to him before by Brits.