Narrative:

On sep/tue/04, ZLA lost communication. Due to this loss of communication and the unknown time of its return, all airlines with flts heading to ZLA were advised that it would be best to divert as soon as practical. Ground stops were put into place for the ZLA stations and flts that were supposed to depart for ZLA were being advised to return to the blocks. While being saturated with diverting flts, updating stations, answering numerous messages from all crews, monitoring the WX in the midwest and at denver and updating the crews, I received a message from flight XXX that just pushed off the blocks in iad headed for las. The crew inquired about the situation in lax and what they should do. I let them know of the loss of communication and the uncertainty of its return. I asked them to return to the blocks as no flts were taking off for ZLA in the near future. A few mins later the crew asked to be refiled to sfo and that iad told them to go to sfo. Though this was possibly a reasonable option, there are a lot of safety variables dispatch needs to take into consideration (destination and en route WX, weights, fuel, MEL restrs, rtes, etc) and the fact that iad station was telling dispatch what to do with the flight was unacceptable. Confused by the origin of this request, I called the manager at iad and asked him what was going on and let him know it was best he return to the gate. He told me that the operations manager said the flight should go to sfo. Learning of this, I approached the working dispatch and operations manager and asked if changing the destination for flts on the ground was something we were doing today. After receiving a confused look, I let them know that I just got off the phone with the iad manager and was informed that the operations manager told iad to have the flts refiled to sfo. Both mgrs said on a flight by flight basis, we are looking into having flts change their destination. I then let them both know it probably would be a good idea to let the dispatchers know this is the plan before the stations and crews since the dispatchers are the ones that need to decide if the flight is possible and need to plan for it. The stations and/or crews should not be the ones to let the dispatchers know what the plan is for the operation. Not only is it disorganized, embarrassing, frustrating and potentially unsafe, but it also creates added tension to all parties involved in an already stressful situation and all because, once again, dispatch was out of the loop.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR DISPATCHER IS CONCERNED THAT OTHER COMPANY PERSONNEL WERE MAKING NEW PLANS FOR A CANCELLED FLT AND THAT THE DISPATCHER WAS KEPT OUT OF THE LOOP.

Narrative: ON SEP/TUE/04, ZLA LOST COM. DUE TO THIS LOSS OF COM AND THE UNKNOWN TIME OF ITS RETURN, ALL AIRLINES WITH FLTS HDG TO ZLA WERE ADVISED THAT IT WOULD BE BEST TO DIVERT AS SOON AS PRACTICAL. GND STOPS WERE PUT INTO PLACE FOR THE ZLA STATIONS AND FLTS THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO DEPART FOR ZLA WERE BEING ADVISED TO RETURN TO THE BLOCKS. WHILE BEING SATURATED WITH DIVERTING FLTS, UPDATING STATIONS, ANSWERING NUMEROUS MESSAGES FROM ALL CREWS, MONITORING THE WX IN THE MIDWEST AND AT DENVER AND UPDATING THE CREWS, I RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM FLT XXX THAT JUST PUSHED OFF THE BLOCKS IN IAD HEADED FOR LAS. THE CREW INQUIRED ABOUT THE SIT IN LAX AND WHAT THEY SHOULD DO. I LET THEM KNOW OF THE LOSS OF COM AND THE UNCERTAINTY OF ITS RETURN. I ASKED THEM TO RETURN TO THE BLOCKS AS NO FLTS WERE TAKING OFF FOR ZLA IN THE NEAR FUTURE. A FEW MINS LATER THE CREW ASKED TO BE REFILED TO SFO AND THAT IAD TOLD THEM TO GO TO SFO. THOUGH THIS WAS POSSIBLY A REASONABLE OPTION, THERE ARE A LOT OF SAFETY VARIABLES DISPATCH NEEDS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION (DEST AND ENRTE WX, WTS, FUEL, MEL RESTRS, RTES, ETC) AND THE FACT THAT IAD STATION WAS TELLING DISPATCH WHAT TO DO WITH THE FLT WAS UNACCEPTABLE. CONFUSED BY THE ORIGIN OF THIS REQUEST, I CALLED THE MGR AT IAD AND ASKED HIM WHAT WAS GOING ON AND LET HIM KNOW IT WAS BEST HE RETURN TO THE GATE. HE TOLD ME THAT THE OPS MGR SAID THE FLT SHOULD GO TO SFO. LEARNING OF THIS, I APCHED THE WORKING DISPATCH AND OPS MGR AND ASKED IF CHANGING THE DEST FOR FLTS ON THE GND WAS SOMETHING WE WERE DOING TODAY. AFTER RECEIVING A CONFUSED LOOK, I LET THEM KNOW THAT I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH THE IAD MGR AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE OPS MGR TOLD IAD TO HAVE THE FLTS REFILED TO SFO. BOTH MGRS SAID ON A FLT BY FLT BASIS, WE ARE LOOKING INTO HAVING FLTS CHANGE THEIR DEST. I THEN LET THEM BOTH KNOW IT PROBABLY WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO LET THE DISPATCHERS KNOW THIS IS THE PLAN BEFORE THE STATIONS AND CREWS SINCE THE DISPATCHERS ARE THE ONES THAT NEED TO DECIDE IF THE FLT IS POSSIBLE AND NEED TO PLAN FOR IT. THE STATIONS AND/OR CREWS SHOULD NOT BE THE ONES TO LET THE DISPATCHERS KNOW WHAT THE PLAN IS FOR THE OP. NOT ONLY IS IT DISORGANIZED, EMBARRASSING, FRUSTRATING AND POTENTIALLY UNSAFE, BUT IT ALSO CREATES ADDED TENSION TO ALL PARTIES INVOLVED IN AN ALREADY STRESSFUL SIT AND ALL BECAUSE, ONCE AGAIN, DISPATCH WAS OUT OF THE LOOP.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.