Narrative:

We received our pre departure clearance late (approximately 12 mins prior to pushback). While the pre departure clearance was printing in the cockpit; we received a cockpit visitor; a young boy and his father for a visit. While distraction with this; neither the captain nor I noted the revised clearance clearing us on the denver plains 4 departure mck transition. Our filed clearance was the denver plains 4 departure hct transition. Our visitor left the cockpit and we pushed back normally. A last min runway change distraction me with reprogramming the FMGC with the new runway and obtaining the appropriate runway takeoff performance data. We took off and were vectored on an easterly heading. We were subsequently cleared to mck on course. As PNF I queried departure control as to our clearance following mck as our clearance was the hct transition. Departure stated that our clearance was the mck transition J44 lnk as filed. We were then cleared direct to lnk as filed. Lnk was on our original filed clearance following hct. We proceeded direct to lnk and on course. The captain and I discussed the incident and we both decided that a report was prudent. We also discussed that many times; especially out of sfo heading east; we get revised clrncs on the pre departure clearance which aren't really revised; merely restatements of the filed clearance. Many times these clrncs show a portion of the initial flight plan then as filed. (Such as sfo SFO8 lin J80 dta...is filed and revised shows sfo SFO8 lin J80 peons as filed.) the as revised clearance in this case would be identical to the filed but instead of showing the next VOR on the airway; it would indicate the next intersection following the previous VOR (if that makes sense!). At times this causes us to become desensitized to actual revised clrncs. Not that this was a factor in this incident but it has caused us at times to not pay 100% attention to the revised clrncs. Also since we receive many of these type of revised clrncs which don't really change the filed clearance; it would lead to an expectation bias on the flight crew's part when the first few fixes on the revised clrncs are identical to the filed route (filed is den PLAINS4 hct and revised is den PLAINS4 mck).

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A319 CREW COMMENTS ABOUT PLT DESENSITIZATION TO PDC ROUTING CHANGES WHEN THE STANDARD PDC REPEATS THE FILED CLRNC AFTER THE TERM 'REVISED' BUT NO CHANGE IS MADE.

Narrative: WE RECEIVED OUR PDC LATE (APPROX 12 MINS PRIOR TO PUSHBACK). WHILE THE PDC WAS PRINTING IN THE COCKPIT; WE RECEIVED A COCKPIT VISITOR; A YOUNG BOY AND HIS FATHER FOR A VISIT. WHILE DISTR WITH THIS; NEITHER THE CAPT NOR I NOTED THE REVISED CLRNC CLRING US ON THE DENVER PLAINS 4 DEP MCK TRANSITION. OUR FILED CLRNC WAS THE DENVER PLAINS 4 DEP HCT TRANSITION. OUR VISITOR LEFT THE COCKPIT AND WE PUSHED BACK NORMALLY. A LAST MIN RWY CHANGE DISTR ME WITH REPROGRAMMING THE FMGC WITH THE NEW RWY AND OBTAINING THE APPROPRIATE RWY TKOF PERFORMANCE DATA. WE TOOK OFF AND WERE VECTORED ON AN EASTERLY HDG. WE WERE SUBSEQUENTLY CLRED TO MCK ON COURSE. AS PNF I QUERIED DEP CTL AS TO OUR CLRNC FOLLOWING MCK AS OUR CLRNC WAS THE HCT TRANSITION. DEP STATED THAT OUR CLRNC WAS THE MCK TRANSITION J44 LNK AS FILED. WE WERE THEN CLRED DIRECT TO LNK AS FILED. LNK WAS ON OUR ORIGINAL FILED CLRNC FOLLOWING HCT. WE PROCEEDED DIRECT TO LNK AND ON COURSE. THE CAPT AND I DISCUSSED THE INCIDENT AND WE BOTH DECIDED THAT A RPT WAS PRUDENT. WE ALSO DISCUSSED THAT MANY TIMES; ESPECIALLY OUT OF SFO HDG E; WE GET REVISED CLRNCS ON THE PDC WHICH AREN'T REALLY REVISED; MERELY RESTATEMENTS OF THE FILED CLRNC. MANY TIMES THESE CLRNCS SHOW A PORTION OF THE INITIAL FLT PLAN THEN AS FILED. (SUCH AS SFO SFO8 LIN J80 DTA...IS FILED AND REVISED SHOWS SFO SFO8 LIN J80 PEONS AS FILED.) THE AS REVISED CLRNC IN THIS CASE WOULD BE IDENTICAL TO THE FILED BUT INSTEAD OF SHOWING THE NEXT VOR ON THE AIRWAY; IT WOULD INDICATE THE NEXT INTXN FOLLOWING THE PREVIOUS VOR (IF THAT MAKES SENSE!). AT TIMES THIS CAUSES US TO BECOME DESENSITIZED TO ACTUAL REVISED CLRNCS. NOT THAT THIS WAS A FACTOR IN THIS INCIDENT BUT IT HAS CAUSED US AT TIMES TO NOT PAY 100% ATTN TO THE REVISED CLRNCS. ALSO SINCE WE RECEIVE MANY OF THESE TYPE OF REVISED CLRNCS WHICH DON'T REALLY CHANGE THE FILED CLRNC; IT WOULD LEAD TO AN EXPECTATION BIAS ON THE FLT CREW'S PART WHEN THE FIRST FEW FIXES ON THE REVISED CLRNCS ARE IDENTICAL TO THE FILED RTE (FILED IS DEN PLAINS4 HCT AND REVISED IS DEN PLAINS4 MCK).

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.