Section 4. Supplemental Duties

17-4-1. TELEPHONE CONFERENCES

a. The ATCSCC is involved in several daily telephone conferences (TELCONs). TELCONs are initiated and hosted by the ATCSCC for field facilities, the appropriate Vice Presidents, and the Chief Operating Officer. Supplemental conference capability is available through the FAA's Remote Transmitter Site and the Washington Operations Center.

b. TMUs/TMCs utilize TELCONs when the need arises to discuss, evaluate, or problem solve any issues. These conference calls should include the appropriate ARTCC TMU, adjacent terminal facilities/towers, the ATCSCC, and the service area TM branch or Service Area office office responsible for TM.

c. TMUs/TMCs should actively participate in facility briefings and user meetings in order to promote, educate, and inform all concerned about the function, role, and responsibilities of TM.

d. TELCONs are also used to maintain operational “Hotlines.” The objective of Hotlines is to provide rapid communications between FAA facilities, customers and other aviation interests when complex air traffic and airspace issues are being managed. Hotlines allow many participants the capability to problem-solve complicated issues and reduces the amount of coordination needed to implement collaborated strategies. Hotlines may be initiated at the request of both the FAA and other aviation entities that substantiate its use. The operational Hotlines are authorized for customer attendance; however, they may be limited to listen-only capability.

1. The ATCSCC administers, facilitates, and manages operational Hotlines.

2. Hotlines are used to communicate:

(a) Airport and airspace capacity issues.

(b) Constraint/capacity mitigation strategies.

(c) Route availability information and route alternatives.

(d) Weather information.

(e) Equipment Outages.

(f) Customer preferences for initiatives and alternatives.

(g) Special circumstances, contingency requirements and emergency events.

(h) All required coordination and information sharing necessary in regard to the event.

(i) Coordination that can be accomplished quickly and precisely with all parties. If an item requires extensive coordination, other communication sources will be used.

(j) Items that are not considered sensitive or classified in nature.

NOTE-
Examples of sensitive or classified items include VIP movement and military requirements or exercises.

17-4-2. SPECIAL INTEREST FLIGHTS

ATCSCC, ARTCC, and CERAP: Follow procedures in FAAO JO 7610.4, Special Operations, Chapter 12, Special Military Flights and Operations, Section 12, Special Interest Flights, regarding special interest flights from State Department designated special interest countries. Forward all issues concerning special interest flights to the DEN ATSC for relay to the appropriate authorities.

17-4-3. ANALYSIS

a.  The TMU analysis function or individuals assigned analysis functions must be responsible for the collection and analysis of all available data as it pertains to traffic capacity, traffic flows, points of congestion, peak hours, etc. Specific areas of consideration include, but are not limited to:

1. Sector demand (by hours).

2. Sector flows (route/altitudes).

3. Sector loading points.

4. Sector traffic breakdown by category of user.

5. Normal initiatives necessary to prevent sector saturation.

6. Alternatives to prevent saturation and relieve congestion/conflicts.

NOTE-
Alternatives must take into consideration other facility/sector capabilities.

7. Total facility traffic count and potential user demand.

8. Sector staffing required to support potential user demand.

9. Location of delays (by sector and airport).

b. Coordination with user organizations must be effected, when appropriate.

17-4-4. OPERATIONS MANAGER (OM) SUPPORT

Facility TMUs must maintain a working knowledge of the major related fields of air traffic operations/responsibilities to effectively support the STMCIC in dealing with special situations that may arise on a daily basis. Reference sources that identify these related areas are listed below.

a. Emergency plan: Numerous interfacility letters of agreement are normally located at the STMCIC complex concerning plans which have been established to provide continuity in the event of a disaster or emergency conditions that would limit air traffic service. Additionally, in these binders are instructions concerning security control of air traffic and air navigation aids, defense readiness, and physical security plans.

b. Accident procedures/bomb threats/search and rescue procedures:

1. FAAO 8020.11, Aircraft Accident and Incident Notification, Investigation, and Reporting.

2. Bomb threats.

3. National Search and Rescue Manual.

4. FAAO 1270.1, Freedom of Information Act Program.

c. EA activity: FAAO JO 7610.4, Special Operations.

d. Hijack situations:

1. FAAO JO 7610.4, Special Operations.

2. FAAO JO 7110.65, Air Traffic Control.

e.  Suspect aircraft:

1. FAAO 1600.29, Law Enforcement Alert Message System.

2. FAAO JO 7110.67, Special Aircraft Operations by Law Enforcement/Military Organizations.

f. Special flight operations: FAAO JO 7110.65, Chapter 9, Special Flights.

NOTE-
In order to provide the maximum TM services, TM personnel should be utilized to perform non-TM functions only as a last resort.

17-4-5. DIVERSION RECOVERY

a. A diversion is a flight that is required to land at other than its original destination for reasons beyond the control of the pilot/company, e.g., periods of significant weather. Diversion recovery is an initiative orchestrated by the ATCSCC and system users to minimize the impact of system disruption. Diversion recovery will be utilized during and after periods of significant weather or other phenomena that has adversely impacted the system resulting in flight diversions. The goal of the diversion recovery initiative is to ensure that flights which have already been penalized by having to divert to another airport, do not receive additional penalties or delays. Flights identified for diversion recovery must receive priority handling over other flights from their point of departure.

b. Diversion flights are identified by having “DVRSN” in the Remarks section of the flight plan, or the user inputs the information into the Diversion Recovery Tool (DRT). The following protocols will be utilized in diversion recovery procedures:

1. A flight on the DRT, as listed in TBL 17-4-1, is requesting priority. FAA facilities must ensure the auto-detect feature is not activated on their DRT. FAA facilities must view the “general aviation” and “comments” columns when utilizing the DRT.

2. “High” priority indicates the user's preference within one company.

3. “Yes” priority indicates that special handling is requested for the flight.

4. The user submitted preferred priorities may be modified where necessary to maintain the efficiency of the system.

c. The ATCSCC must:

1. Implement diversion recovery.

2. Transmit an advisory to inform both field facilities and users that a diversion recovery initiative has been implemented and the DRT has been activated.

3. Adjust the initiative as necessary to meet changing conditions.

4. Transmit an advisory when the DRT has been deactivated.

d. The ARTCCs must:

1. Implement diversion recovery as directed by the ATCSCC.

2. Notify the ATCSCC if they do not intend to use the DRT. In such cases, the ATCSCC must send the Center a general message with the information as stated in TBL 17-4-1, every 60 minutes until diversion recovery is no longer in effect.

3. Provide expeditious handling in returning to the system those flights identified by the ATCSCC/DRT as diversion flights.

4. Forward user diversion recovery requests to towers and TRACONs. (See TBL 17-4-1).

NOTE-
DVRSN will be placed in the remarks section of the flight plan by the user.

e. Towers and TRACONs must:

1. Provide expeditious handling in returning to the system those flights identified by the ARTCC/DRT as diversion flights.

2. Notify the overlying ARTCC TMU if they will utilize the DRT.

TBL 17-4-1
User Recovery Priority Request Format

17-4-6. VOLCANIC ASH

a. Upon receipt of a validated report of volcanic activity and/or ash cloud movement, the ARTCC TMU whose geographic area of responsibility is impacted by such activity must:

1. Assess areas of potential or actual ash cloud location.

2. Notify the ATCSCC and the other facilities in their area of jurisdiction that may be affected. Provide as much information as possible, including PIREPS and other pertinent information that has been received.

b. Upon receipt of a Volcanic Ash Advisory (VAA), Volcanic Ash SIGMET, or ARTCC notification, the ATCSCC must:

1. Retransmit the VAA received from the Washington or Anchorage VAACs to air traffic control facilities and stakeholders via a numbered ATCSCC advisory. The VAA will also be displayed on the ATCSCC website in the advisories database.

2. Conduct, as needed, conference calls to assess constraints and TMIs associated with the volcanic ash.

NOTE-
The FAA does not have the capability to predict or depict volcano eruptions or ash cloud density and movements. It is not the responsibility of the FAA to provide separation between aircraft and volcanic activity or ash clouds.