Stupid military pilot turned 121 pilot question, but isn't the decision to divert a coordinated effort between the Captain and the dispatcher ... as the dispatcher has the bigger picture and would know the best options?

 

That is assuming a lot about the dispatchers' understanding of the big picture.

It is definitely available to them, but whether they know what they are looking at is a whole other issue.

 

According to the flow chart if you have an alternate listed on your paperwork it says confirm with Dispatch that the divert airport is the best to use. If you don't have one then you must contact Dispatch or use your emergency authority.

I can't find it spelled out here but in my 121 experience you can divert to an airport listed without contacting dispatch and most of that was because you had to call them over the radio and on bad weather days you may never get a hold of anyone. Now with ACARS there really isn't a reason not to get a hold of them.

And in my experience if you are not using your emergency authority and you divert to an airport that is not on your paperwork without coordinating with dispatch then it's a big big deal with the FAA. It's probably where the "must" comes from. I knew someone whose Captain, this was in RJ world, diverted to an airport of his choice, not the one on the paperwork, without coordinating it and I believe the dispatcher and chief pilot came unglued.

 

My "Weather Alternate" is always the same; TXKF. ;^)

 

Carl prefers KEF:

 

I wasn't flying that day, and don't know what the pilots were looking at, but I'm thinking (in perfect 20/20 hindsight...) to look at using an alternate that isn't directly in the path of the huge snowstorm. Maybe use places like IAD, BWI, ACY, RIC, ORF, RDU, etc. as the alternate, even though they are farther away. It's not always possible, but that way, if you find yourself stuck on the ground in an overcrowded airport with no gates, you don't have to deal with a foot of blowing snow. You'd have the option to refuel at the FBO and go back to FLL w/o deicing and all the other weather issues.

Maybe not a option for these guys, but I'm putting that idea in my bag-o-tricks for the next time...

 

I think folks already made this point...my bad.

 

People are looking for validation.

 

Is this 'flow chart' DL specific, or in the FARs or AIM?

We're all looking for 'validation'.

 

At my company, the flight releases are done several hours early, and the WX may indicate those airports are OK when the dispatcher ran the WX for them. I don't think the dispatchers pay much attention until a problem is forming, and then it's too late as their workload increases exponentially.
I think the overriding thing is it takes fuel to carry fuel, and where I work that means planning for an alternate as close as possible to the destination. Unfortunately in a large snowstorm like what happened, the whole region is overwhelmed and the airplanes may not have the fuel to divert to a better (farther away) airport. Then the close by airports get overwhelmed with diverting traffic, exacerbating the problem. I remember the debacle in DTW the tugs couldn't even get traction on the snow to pull anyone around.