B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance
Human Factors; Procedure
Just opened arrival on a South flow. Supervisor said it will get busy in a bit and opened the final G scope. Marginal VFR; visual approaches would work if aircraft were below 4;000 FT. Wind was 21014G24. I was assigning ILS18R and LOC17L approaches. All arrivals on East side were assigned the nearest Runway (17L) and all west side arrivals to 18R IAW SOP. I had a heavy string of arrivals on the CWRLD (LAMMA) arrival. East Departure handed off two Air Carriers on the CWRLD (APOLO) assigned the opposite complex (ILS18R). I was never informed by the East Departure Controller; floor walker/supervisor or TMU that the two aircraft were assigned for the West complex. I assumed; IAW SOP; they were assigned 17L. Based on the traffic flow; there was no place to put these two arrivals from the east. I started to adjust my LAMMA arrival string to make a hole for these two aircraft. After multiple turns; altitude assignments and speed adjustments; I am unsure if separation was lost attempting to get them all in sequence for 17L. When I was knee deep in vectors; I realized that these two aircraft were for the other side; too late. I committed and was determined to make it work. The whole time I was working hard to get these two aircraft into the flow; I over heard the East Departure Controller cutting up and paying absolutely no attention to what was happening at the sector. The West Departure Controller overheard the East Departure Controller telling the TMU that it's a 'natural fit.' Everyone else in the room concurred that there was nowhere for those two jets to go and that they should have been sent over the top of for a right downwind to 18R or sent to the downwind to 17L. The current SOP states that aircraft be assigned the runway closest to the arrival they are on. The practice of valet parking by young; inexperienced controllers has had dire consequences. No one coordinated this 'valet parking' of these aircraft with me; nor did anyone make the flow 'work' by offsetting these aircraft into a position that wouldn't be detrimental to other controllers. All involved failed to coordinate this valet park or ensure that it would work. The safety culture at this facility is neglected; coordination is sparse and the carefree attitude is a detriment to the National Airspace System. Why have SOPs if no one abides by them? I can honestly say; I am scared that one day something tragic is going to happen before something is changed.
F11 Controller described a very confused traffic period when facility personnel failed to comply with SOP directives and set up a potential loss of separation event.