I'd think that since you've flown into busy airports it would be crystal clear. Sure, you can fly a slower speed and save fuel, but going into ANY of the major airports, you won't be doing it for long.

Not if you're flying from several hours away... particularly transcons.

Yet another folly of outsourcing. Half the flight segments have nowhere near the dispatch thought process going into them! :o

My favorite part is when the tower will hold a 'heavy' (everything from a 757 up to A380) to launch several RJ's, then finally launch the heavy...then when you talk to departure, they tell the heavy to slow to 280 (or less) in the climb, because you are following...all the RJ's the tower guy put in front of you!

Why can't ATL ATC just specify that ALL Departures MUST maintain 320 in the climb?

OR...put the slower ones at the back of the launch parade, instead of the front? Maybe with all these new SID's they will have more places to send the low and slow trafic.

Because then all the CRJ-200s would only be able to climb to 4,000 ft.

Not true. Climb the -200 at 320 or even better 330 and watch the climb rates then. Problem is, you have all these guys climbing on "normal climb" profile which is 290/.74 and engines at Econ climb power (800 ITT) no matter what (even with eng A/I on)! Sheesh!

Get the guys to speed up and power up and they'd get out of your way. Blame the training. And the culture. It's like everyone is brainwashed to sim lesson 1. Maybe afraid FOQA will tattle on them or something. I don't know.

I can live with a 280kt. climb, get to cruise alt. faster and be on my way, I just don't know why (at the world's busiest airport) they haven't specified a common climb speed for all departing jet traffic, so we can maintain our separation and get out of there as fast as possible.

Seems when ever we slow to 280 we are next told to level off at 230, and wait....wait....wait...for the RJ's in front to climb all the way up to...290, and get some spacing, before we can continue on our way.

Why not hold the RJ's down to 250 or below and let the big dogs eat? The Heavies have 8-15hr. legs to go, and spending the first 10minutes held down at fl 230, at 280kts, is not helping save any fuel.

To answer the original poster's question... the computer takes into consideration a strong tailwind and will typically dictate a slower climb and cruise speed for a given cost index...

This, and the antiquated 250 below 10,000 needs to go bye bye. At JFK, if we could turn right off of 31L/R, and accelerate to 320 at 2K, they would be able to get more traffic out and we could all get to the layover a little faster. But I guess we would be flying over somebody's house so that ain't gonna happen.

Oh and to answer the OP.. Sometimes it depends on where you are going. If I am going to JFK in the summer, and I am going to be 30 minutes early, I'll pull it back.. to save both fuel and aggravation. (You won't have a gate available if you are that early)

Or just stay slow and hose the guy behind you. I got 4 heading changes and 5 speed changes to stay behind a whale in NRT (terminal area) couple weeks ago.

Are south guys flying it yet?