Dispatch Dispatcher
Communication Breakdown; Workload
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence; Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue
Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Maintenance Action
Human Factors; Weather; Procedure; Equipment / Tooling
I took the desk at approximately XA:50 and was unable to log in until approximately XB:20. During this time I had no operational control and an international flight diverted. They made at least 8 attempts to contact me via ACARS to receive landing performance data and my acknowledgment that they were diverting. When my computer did work I was unable to divert the flight in Sabre and it required an IT specialist about 15 minutes to correct.
We showed up to flight plan for our flight home and did not have any track messages or the ETOPs CP [Critical Point] page. I called dispatch but our dispatcher was unable to transmit the information to the station. We asked for the track messages and ETOPs CP page to be sent to the ACARs printer. We also asked for [a nearby airport] to be added as an alternate due to forecast thunderstorms at destination. The station was waiting for confirmation of the fuel load; so I asked the dispatcher what the new fuel load would be. She said our fuel load did not change adding the alternate - she just moved extra fuel to alternate fuel. This negated the reason for our request (additional fuel for TRWs and alternate) so I told her to add 2900 LBS to the original fuel - which was fuel for [the alternate]. The fuel was added and remarks annotated -increase per Captain request. As an aside; we ended up needing the extra fuel and did divert [to filed alternate]. When we arrived at the aircraft; the track messages and ETOPs CP page had printed on ACARs along with ETOPS weather. Our ETOPs entry point was more than 3hrs into the future. As we approached the point where we generally get ETOPs weather; we asked Dispatch for the weather. No reply. As we were approaching the ETOPs entry point; we called up our own weather and sent and [an ETOPS OK message] advising we had not received ETOPs weather but called up our own. Dispatch quickly replied that ETOPs weather had been sent to our printer; but there was nothing on the printer. She may have been referring to the weather she sent prior to departure.Descending into destination airport; we received a message from Dispatch (same dispatcher so we are guessing she was working a double shift) saying we might get some vectors for weather into destination. We ended up getting vectored all over and sent a message to Dispatch asking for help from ATC coordinator to avoid a divert. Our last message from Dispatch was 'ATC said they would take you with no hold.'We continued to get vectored and were approaching bingo fuel. We sent multiple messages to Dispatch requesting divert airport info; best weather at our two alternates; and [that we] were hoping for some priority through our ATC coordinator to avoid a divert. No reply. We were busy with ATC and deviating around weather; yet still no answer from Dispatch. More messages were sent to Dispatch asking for help with ATC. No reply. We reached bingo fuel and requested clearance to [alternate] and sent a divert message to Dispatch. No reply. Sent another message to Dispatch to confirm they knew we were diverting. No reply. The relief pilot called ops [at alternate] to give them a heads up that an international divert was inbound. Taxiing in; we had a message from Dispatch: 'Shift change here. Couldn't log on to computer through your diversion. Computer started to come alive when you were on final...' The diversion occurred without DISPATCH having any idea what was going on.We parked remotely and I called the new dispatcher after shutdown. He said that due to shift change; we were out of any kind of operational control for at least 15 minutes. He did not get the messages until we were on final. And apparently did not get a detailed hand off from the previous dispatcher. The new dispatcher was extremely helpful as we returned to destination.
A Dispatcher's computer system malfunction prevented him from assuming operational control of an international flight which was in the process of diverting for weather. The Captain of the B767 aircraft involved also reported stating they were faced with the need to divert due to weather and low fuel was unable to communicate with Dispatch to coordinate doing so. Upon landing they received a message advising the lost contact was due to a shift change and Dispatcher delays logging in to the Dispatch System Software.