EuroWheenie
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2005
- Posts
- 2,487
Having recently flown into IAD on a transatlantic flight, and into a number of other airports on domestic and international flights, what is the reason for the seemingly excessively early descents into US airports? I've flown into US airports as pax only, and on each occasion observed that we've been descended early and then truckin' around at lowish altitude for extended periods of time. I do appreciate that US airspace is busy, but have rarely experienced this in the most densely trafficed airports in Europe. Sure, I've tried hummin' along at low altitude coming in to LHR and FRA, but not as a general rule. Yet, on every single approach into US airports (have only tried MIA, LAX, JFK, IAD and ATL, and do appreciate they rank amongst the busiest) approach control seem to descent you very early.
This is not a "bash US ATC thread", rather a genuine question as to why there seems to be a fundamentally different philisophy between US and European descent procedures.
This is not a "bash US ATC thread", rather a genuine question as to why there seems to be a fundamentally different philisophy between US and European descent procedures.