Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Other / Unknown; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings
ZWG called with a hand off for Air Carrier X; asking if I had Flight Plan (FP) information. I looked in ERAM and found none; so instructed ZWG; the aircraft was POA and to keep the aircraft coming while I had FDCS get the FP into ERAM. The aircraft was just crossing into ZMP as I was notified FDCS was entering the FP; so I called RADAR contact and communications change. It was another 40-50 NM before the FP was available; simply due to its length (International.) There was no 'error' per se in this event; but the lack of FP info with Air Carrier X flights is becoming more and more routine. Rumor has it there may be something non-standard; or at least something ERAM doesn't understand in the remarks section of the FP. However; querying the FDCS specialist about this flight; there was nothing obvious or changed. Recommendation; best option would be for NAS and NAVCANADA computers to allow the same functionality we have domestically: Add/Find of a flight. Alternatively; the moment NAVCANADA gets an error message; it would be prudent for them to contact ZMP; versus waiting until the hand off distance from boundaries.
ZMP Controller described an equipment issue when no information was available via the ERAM on an aircraft arriving from Canadian airspace; the reporter suggesting more same type functionalities between US and Canadian equipment.