Small Aircraft
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 14.5
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Distraction; Situational Awareness; Time Pressure
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic
Human Factors; Procedure; Airspace Structure
Aircraft X had filed an IFR flight plan from CCB to HHR.  ONT TWR was 'contra ops'; which meant that they were landing RWY26; but departing RWY08.  They do this at night for noise abatement and they end contra ops @ 0700 am local.  A CCB IFR departure conflicts with ONT IFR departures; so these flights must be coordinated with POMR to avoid conflictions. I was working POMR and had only one aircraft; Aircraft Y; steadied in the 'rundown list' from ONT.  There were no other aircraft flashing in the rundown list waiting release from ONT.  The normal procedure for a CCB departure is for the pilot to call ONT ground for their release; and ONT tower will call and coordinate that release with POMR.  CCB airport lies immediately outside ONT Class D airspace; but the departure procedure from CCB takes the aircraft though ONT airspace.  Sometimes; the pilots tell us that the tower can't hear them on the ground frequency; so they'll call us on the 800-line (flight data) and we'll back-coordinate with ONT Tower. Aircraft X called SCT flight data and said that he couldn't raise the tower on ONT ground and wanted us to get his release.  The only traffic I had impeding the CCB release was Aircraft Y; so I called ONT TWR and asked where Aircraft Y was and they told me he was mid-field; rolling (take-off in progress).  The tower then started flashing 2 more IFR departures in my rundown list.  I told the tower that Aircraft X was already on the phone; that he couldn't get them on ground frequency and was looking for a release.  I told the tower that I would release Aircraft X as soon as Aircraft Y was airborne; and that I would release their two new departures once Aircraft X was airborne and separated from the departure corridor.  ONT tower told me that they had 3 waiting to go.  I informed them that no; Aircraft X was already on the phone before they started flashing the next two departures; and that he was and would go next.  Tower then told me they had 2 aircraft with flow times for PHX.  I told them I didn't care about that and that they should get new flow time for those aircraft. I ended the call.Aircraft X was released.  Aircraft X was at 030; which was my MVA; so I turned him away from the ONT departures and steadied the 2 aircraft in my rundown list. I was informed that the tower supervisor had filed an report because I didn't apreq the CCB departure with ONT tower and was creating reportable delays.  Keep in mind that only 6 minutes had passed from my initial call to ONT to the time ONT resumed normal departure ops after Aircraft X was turned out of the way.  6 minutes is not a 'reportable delay'. While the normal procedure is for the tower to call us and coordinate the CCB departure; in this reverse case I called them but did not use the word 'apreq'[Approval Request].  The only possible confliction between CCB and ONT departures would be if there were departures released from these airports simultaneously.  Because I told the tower the sequence of departures that I would release and I did not steady the rundown list; there was zero confusion on anyone's part about what was taking place or who was being released when.  The tower supervisor apparently was upset because I 'told' them how I was going to run the sequence; rather than letting them decide the sequence.After this event; during the conversation between my supe and the ONT Supervisor; the ONT supervisor told my supervisor (on a recorded line) that normally; when a CCB departure calls for a release; they decide the sequence of departures and 'make him last' (him being the CCB departure). This is a violation of 7110.65  2-1-4.  Operational Priority; 'Provide air traffic control service to aircraft on a 'first come; first served' basis as circumstances permit; except the following.'  Under the exceptions listed in this paragraph; I see no exception for commercial aircraft having priority over small IFR Cessnas simply because the little guy is slow.The reason this is a problem is that Aircraft X flies this route every morning; and he 'knows the drill'.  I strongly suspect that he never actually called ONT ground for his release.  I also strongly suspect that the reason he didn't call is because he knew the tower would 'make him last'; and he knew that SCT would 'make him next' (as per the 71110.65) and he wanted his proper place in the departure sequence.  If ONT didn't habitually operate under the 'make him last' method; perhaps this entire scenario might have been avoided.  Why does ONT operate under 'make him last' procedure? I suspect it is because they are more concerned with avoiding a reportable delay than they are anything else.  It seems that we often have issues like this with ONT tower over someone getting hurt feelings or throwing common-sense out the window just to enforce an LOA procedure.  A power struggle does not enhance safety; it degrades safety.  The times for this incident were derived from the audiotapes.  I only listened to the tape once; so my description of the events as listed above is subject to change.We have discovered that the tower has a recorded phone line that accepts outside calls. We are in the process of using this number for times when the pilots cannot use the ONT ground frequency for their release.  Having the pilots use a land-line to call the tower directly will alleviate this problem.
SCT Controller describes a release off of an airport in his airspace that needed to be coordinated with another Tower. Controller coordinates and gets the aircraft airborne. Other Tower Supervisor has an issue with the way the aircraft was released and why their other traffic waited on the ground for this aircraft.