Narrative:

Controller pilot data link communications (cpdlc) not yet ready for prime time. Dangerous.1. This system must be modified to allow the current clearance to be printed out on the cockpit printer.2. When a complete reroute is sent via this system; the new route must be allowed to be printed and reviewed prior to auto-loading it in the FMS.the current system of having an ATC clearance; current and /or revised; stored on multiple; disjointed pages of the ACARS / FMS display is confusing; causes excessive heads down time while taxiing; will cause a gross navigation error (I would wager multiple errors have already occurred) and is just plain stupid.we were taxiing out of a very congested; weather-impacted; jfk airport the other day. Ground freq was non-stop due to long taxi routes because of 20-mile in-trail spacing for departing aircraft in all directions. A cpdlc message for 'this is a revised clearance' appeared with no other information (no revised route included).spent next 5-10 minutes heads down; while taxiing; trying to figure out what was happening; in addition to eventually calling clearance delivery on the radio; and dispatch. No place to pull out of way due to long taxiways with no exits. And; we were getting automatic ACARS messages about must be airborne in 15 minutes due to 9 hour flight time restriction. A simple printout of the revised clearance would have resolved the issue in a few moments and been much more intuitive. This is a defective system and it is going to harm someone.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-800 pilot reported that he does not believe that Controller Pilot Data Link Communications is 'ready for prime time' yet. He stated that being able to print both the original and revised clearance would be a great improvement and would enhance understanding of the revision; rather than blindly uploading the information into the FMC.

Narrative: Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) not yet ready for prime time. Dangerous.1. This system MUST be modified to allow the current clearance to be printed out on the cockpit printer.2. When a complete reroute is sent via this system; the new route MUST be allowed to be printed and reviewed PRIOR to auto-loading it in the FMS.The current system of having an ATC clearance; current and /or revised; stored on multiple; disjointed pages of the ACARS / FMS display is confusing; causes excessive heads down time while taxiing; will cause a gross navigation error (I would wager multiple errors have already occurred) and is just plain stupid.We were taxiing out of a very congested; weather-impacted; JFK airport the other day. Ground freq was non-stop due to long taxi routes because of 20-mile in-trail spacing for departing aircraft in all directions. A CPDLC message for 'This is a revised clearance' appeared with NO other information (no revised route included).Spent next 5-10 minutes heads down; while taxiing; trying to figure out what was happening; in addition to eventually calling Clearance Delivery on the radio; and Dispatch. No place to pull out of way due to long taxiways with no exits. And; we were getting automatic ACARS messages about must be airborne in 15 minutes due to 9 hour flight time restriction. A simple printout of the revised clearance would have resolved the issue in a few moments and been much more intuitive. This is a defective system and it is going to harm someone.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.