AIRLINE CREW COMPLAINS OF INADEQUATE SUPPORT FROM THEIR COMPANY FOR FOREIGN OP.

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AN AIRLINE CREW; FLYING AN MD83 TO SJD COMPLAINS OF INADEQUATE PLANNING INFO FOR THE FLT. THEY ADDED FUEL. DISPATCH ADDED MORE FUEL FOR ENRTE WX AND A NEW RELEASE WAS ISSUED. ON ARR; WX WAS WORSE THAN EXPECTED AND FLT DIVERTED TO THE ALTERNATE. THE DIVERSION WAS HANDLED POORLY BY THE COMPANY DISPATCH. VERY LITTLE INFO WAS MADE AVAILABLE TO THE CREW. THE WX IMPROVED AND THEY WERE REDISPATCHED TO SJD. THE CREW FOUND THAT FOR THE NEXT LEG THEY WERE OVER LEGAL LIMITS OF FLT TIME. A DISAGREEMENT AROSE ABOUT THE TIME; AND MGMNT WAS UNAVAILABLE TO SORT IT OUT. ULTIMATELY; THE NEXT LEG WAS FLOWN ONCE AN UNSATISFACTORY CONFERENCE WITH MGR WAS FINALLY ARRANGED. THE CREW SEES THE PROB AS -- CAUSES: NO COM WITH DISPATCH. UNDERSTAFFING; POOR DISPATCH MGMNT AND ORGANIZATION; POOR FLT OVERSIGHT; POOR COM SYS. ADVERSE WX: POOR WX RPTING FROM SJD; POOR WX INFO DISSEMINATION IN LAX. INADEQUATE TIME TO PREPARE DUE TO: LACK OF WARNING ABOUT ADVERSE WX; LACK OF FUEL; LIMITED LNDG OPTIONS; DIFFICULT COM WITH FOREIGN CTLR; LACK OF RADAR COVERAGE; LACK OF PROCS FOR BREAKING OFF APCH EARLY; BUT BEING UNABLE TO COMPLY WITH MISSED APCH PROCS. SCHEDULING: INADEQUATE RESERVE STAFFING; LACK OF UNIFORM SCHEDULING PROCS; MISINTERP OF FARS. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: BETTER COM; MORE ATTN GIVEN BY DISPATCHERS TO INDIVIDUAL FLTS; MORE DISPATCHERS TO REDUCE THE DISPATCHER/FLT RATIO; BETTER COM SYS; BETTER FUEL PLANNING FOR AREAS OF LIMITED OPTIONS; PLANNING EMPHASIS STILL NEEDS MORE OF A SHIFT TOWARD SAFETY RATHER THAN MEETING OPERATIONAL NEEDS; UNIFORM INTERPS AND APPLICATIONS OF FARS; SCHEDULING MUST INCORPORATE MORE THOUGHTS REGARDING SAFETY RATHER THAN ALWAYS TRYING TO MEET OPERATIONAL NEEDS; RADAR COVERAGE; IMPROVE WX DISSEMINATION IN LAX; IMPROVE WX RPTING IN SJD.