Originally Posted by Ajax

We are trying to maximize the amount of traffic we can handle. Ground stops can only acomplish so much. We do slow you down, but even then that is often not enough. there is also many arrival fixes feeding us, and we have to string you all into one big conga line. If you were all coming from the same direction, you wouldn't be getting zig zagged as much.

Just to expand a little more on this. If traffic volume is at a point where you're getting zig zagged all over New Jersey, chances are...we're about to go in a hold, if we aren't holding behind you already. We'll zig zag some to accomodate as many aircraft in our airspace as we can safely manage, but once those limites get tested, we don't hesitate to go in a hold. Question for you is...do you rather spend 10 to 15 minutes in a holding pattern or zig zagging over NJ? which one do you think will get you to land faster? I ask myself this many times when I have to vector somebody off the PHLBO to the east to make room for one or 2 extra PENNS arrivals. We are always trying to favor the arrival fix that has the MOST inbounds, so as to minimize the impact a hold will have.