Light Transport
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 18
Communication Breakdown; Human-Machine Interface; Situational Awareness; Workload
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance
Airspace Structure; Human Factors; Procedure
Procedure set up to get APA arrivals into APA airport with a descend via to keep them out of the way of Denver arrivals. The procedure requires the arrival controller in the TRACON to use the automated point out function to point out the aircraft to West departure; South Departure; Arrival sectors as well as Local 2 in the tower. This seems to be a common issue where everyone approves the point out for the procedure except Local 2; and then we are scrambling last minute to stop the descent; call Departure Control; initiate a handoff to a different controller (that already took a point out) and coordinate new instructions to both the controller and the pilot who is on the RNAV arrival descending via. Yes; the procedure descends through tower's airspace; but the arrival was jointly created and is in the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) so all controllers are VERY familiar with the procedure. Lately it seems Local Control is saying 'UNABLE' much more than in the past. Today Local 2 waited until the aircraft was 9 miles Northeast of DEN to say 'unable' and he did so using the automated 'UN' function. By the time I observed the 'UN' flashing; I have about 5 miles with the aircraft going 250 knots to figure out a new plan; do all the coordination; handoff the aircraft; etc. Meanwhile I have other aircraft calling and PIREPS to be issued and I was not anticipating having this additional workload put on me with no time to complete all of it. The worst part of this entire situation today was that not a single aircraft departed within 5 miles of Aircraft X. I stopped the Aircraft X at 11;000 feet; to keep out of the Tower's airspace. Aircraft X continued on the lateral portion of the arrival and while the aircraft was over the tower's airspace; there were NO AIRCRAFT departing; which indicates to me that the Local Controller did not have an actual reason to unable the point out. The 'descend via' clearance as published would've worked absolutely perfectly. Zero aircraft were departing Denver; so no delays on the departing traffic; and then Aircraft X would not have to have been delayed either. I asked the supervisor to call upstairs and ask why the local controller said 'UNABLE' and was unable to accommodate the descend via through his airspace; and the supervisor would not tell me what the tower said. He instead stated that I needed to quiet down; and that it's their airspace and they have every right to say 'Unable'. It is frustrating that the supervisor in the TRACON cannot communicate to me what the reason was and also doesn't seem to have my back; and instead takes the tower's side. There was no TM (Traffic Management) in the room at the time; otherwise perhaps that would've been the better route to go as far as figuring out why they couldn't accept the point out. If the tower isn't going to approve the PUFFR 4 arrivals descending via through their airspace; then the TM needs to be advised so they can coordinate with Center so the aircraft are routed into APA airport a different way. This is getting ridiculous. If the tower controllers can't work with us; than the procedure needs to be changed and the aircraft routed a different way. As radar controllers we shouldn't have to scramble every time because the local controllers don't want to work something out; don't want to work hard; or feel it is easiest to 'UNABLE'. Every time this happens it compounds the frustration in the TRACON and it seems tower just doesn't want to work as a team. If they actually have a reason to say 'UNABLE'; then it is completely acceptable and understandable; but more often than not; they 'UNABLE' the point out; and then we observe zero aircraft impacting what could have been an easy operation. Instead; the APA arrival gets vectored all over; and the departure controller who takes the aircraft last minute; at 11;000 feet; is scrambling because they have nowhere to go with the aircraft and if there was a sequence with another aircraft there is very little airspace to maneuver in.
TRACON Controller reported the Tower Local Controllers routinely disapprove point outs through Tower airspace even without conflicting traffic.