No Aircraft
Dispatch Dispatcher
Dispatch Dispatch 25
Communication Breakdown; Confusion
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
General None Reported / Taken
Chart Or Publication; Company Policy
WSI SIGMET products lack the SIGMET identification numbers e.g. S1 or C1 as issued by the controlling authority like Gander or Shanwick or any other. It makes it hard to coordinate SIGMET and Hazardous Weather information when crews refer to a SIGMET by a number given to them by ATC. The Dispatcher then goes looking for it; but will never find or identify the SIGMET they are referring to by its proper tag number. This is so frustrating and flat out dangerous. We must have the SIGMET tag numbers attached to the SIGMET header line as issued from the original issuer.
The reporter believes that the lack of communications is the root issue here. Dispatch and flight crews may not be talking about the same enroute weather because the commercial weather product's number system does not correlate to North Atlantic Controlling Agencies weather reporting. The consequence is when an airborne flight crew calls Dispatch for information about a SIGMET or Hazardous Weather with a report number; the dispatcher may not know what the crew is referencing because the Controlling Agency number will not be in the commercial weather product's report causing confusion and miscommunication.
A Dispatcher reported that a Commercial Weather product used by his Company does not reference North Atlantic Air Traffic Agencies' SIGMET and Hazardous Weather reports causing miscommunication and confusion.