Maybe a bit late to help, but who has issued the slot/how have you received it? I would assume its more likely an airport/runway slot than a Eurocontrol (CTOT) one.
Well today out of EDDL I had a CTOT given as 1158 (OBT of 11:50) and missed it by 5 minutes. So ended up being a 20-minute taxi, a persuasive tower controller trying to bung me out VFR and I quite simply refused as I hadn’t a clue of the procedures. Wanted me to depart close behind a B753, which Langen quite rightly refused. Waited for two landings and a Eurowings A319 to depart before I departed.
Lesson learned, make that CTOT.
Pirho wrote:
Maybe a bit late to help, but who has issued the slot/how have you received it? I would assume its more likely an airport/runway slot than a Eurocontrol (CTOT) one.
I received it by calling the German AIS number.
CTOTs usually shrink. Your filed EOBT was 1150 and you got a CTOT of 1158? That’s barely relevant.
You missed the 1158 by 5 mins? That’s OK.
This doesn’t make sense.
Because I missed my position to depart, I ended up in a queue of scheduled jets. CTOTs only shrink if ATC amends them, in which case they shortened mine from 10 to 8. It took 15 minutes from OBT to the runway hold. A further 5 minutes to get Langen to release me.
Peter wrote:
CTOTs usually shrink. Your filed EOBT was 1150 and you got a CTOT of 1158? That’s barely relevant.You missed the 1158 by 5 mins? That’s OK.
This doesn’t make sense.
I’m still not sure if this was a runway slot rather than a CTOT.
Firstly it would seem unlikely to me for you to get a CTOT nearly 24 hours in advance. Secondly the allowance for a CTOT is -5/+10, so if you were only 5 late they really could have let you go. Lastly, if you missed a CTOT then they wouldn’t let you start up normally.
How did you file your flightplan? If it was a CTOT then you will have received communication from Autorouter/EuroFPL etc regarding the CTOT.
CTOTs only shrink if ATC amends them
This is totally confused. ATC doesn’t manipulate CTOTs. They come out of the computer in IFPS.
Firstly it would seem unlikely to me for you to get a CTOT nearly 24 hours in advance.
I used to get CTOT as early as 16 hours in advance.
ATC doesn’t manipulate CTOTs. They come out of the computer in IFPS.
No but ATC can move your EOBT if you’re not ready and then consequently you’ll get new CTOT.
Once you’re taxing you can be pretty sure you’ll take off soon 
But the new CTOT after moving his EOBT has to still come from the computer no? you receive it by sms, Aerdrome ATC have no control on en-route allocation if it involve lot of sections, they can also FPL (just like they did for him) but it still have to go to the computer…
He could ask to taxi and depart VFR at CTOT+5 and pick his IFR in the air, it’s a nice option private GA has when weather is sunny
It’s easy to know CTOT/EOBT without asking ATC, some tools sends you notifications, the rest of delays could be something else unrelated…
Ibra wrote:
He could ask to taxi and depart VFR at CTOT+5 and pick his IFR in the air, it’s a nice option private GA has when weather is sunny
He could – but needed to file a new (Z-)Flightplan for that.
Although practically that works sometimes, there is no rule that guarantees you that you have to be accepted at any point of a filed flight plan even if you got there completely different from the plan. Practically when departing from EDDL with such a plan, he might have the challenge to get the (VFR-) airspace C clearances he might require to get to a point on his original plan where he could pick up IFR.
VFR departure can be done while having an I-IFR flight plan on standby no need to re-file Z-FPL, actually, you fly can VFR without FPL in Germany? or do you need V-FPL/Z-FPL in big airports to depart?
To pick IFR in the air with sector ATC, you need the right FPL and timing/weather for it (an I-FPL does the job all the time)
I think tower ATC suggested him to take this option? it was not a trap put simply, it means he has to take care of his own traffic/wake separation on takeoff as they can’t give him procedural IFR departure with separation (he missed his departure slot not his en-route slot), if he can’t establish radio or radar after getting airborne VFR he needs to do a circuit and land or leave airspace, otherwise the rest on en-route IFR clearance pickup will be the same, maybe hectic for someone on his first trip…
PS: just like an uncontrolled VFR/IFR departure (people do this on I-FPL and pick up IFR en-route with no issues) but it’s huge CTR where he needs tower ATC clearance for takeoff & circuit, if weather is sunny, you could do tower ATC a favor and depart VFR, they will get you a clearance and tactical separation in Charlie 
