My vote goes to PHL! They are not only rude controllers, wait until one cloud pops up over the airport and the ground delay program starts, let alone SWAP! this has to hurt SW's ontime/turnaround time there!
LOL...... Every time I hear someone ask about the worst atc facility, PHL is the first one that pops into my head.........
I hope SWA knows something that I don't know.
I flew out of there for years, and between the Severe WORK Avoidance Procedures and outright ineptness, I've spent a lot of time burning fuel not going anywhere.
[rant]I can't believe that we are still using SWAP..... some nimrod in DC, watching weather radar on a TV with airways superimposed on them sees a storm on J-xxx, and immediately stops and reroutes any departures that are filed on J-xxx. After waiting hours for the new routing, which takes you 500 miles out of your way for no reason, you take off, and head 180 degrees the wrong way. Taking a look out the window, you see that the ORIGINAL routing is clear as a bell, and inquire to the center controller if you can go direct. Invariably, they say sure, why not, and you carry thousands of extra pounds of fuel to your destination several hours late.
If it happened once in a while, I could accept it, but for years, every time there is a cb between MDW and BNA, and we are going to FL, the reroute is Moline, Kirksville, Braymer, then thye turn you towards somewhere like LIT. I have recieved this clearance, after considerable delay, more times than I can count, and have YET to make it to MZV before turning towards my destination.
It would be nice if the center controllers were put back in charge, rather than some EEOC guy in DC, who hasn't got a clue. Then, all the southbounds take off 15 miles in trail, and they all deviate the same way around the weather in question. It worked 1000 X better than this automatic reroute if it's raining enroute, SWAP nonsense. There were times when it didn't work, but the old way worked way more often than the SWAP nonsense.[/rant]
