Narrative:

Flight was cleared by ATC along different route than filed. When crew inquired about routing change, ATC said that there was more than one routing filed for the flight. The crew informed the dispatcher of the confusion. I contacted the watch supervisor in ZMA. She advised me that the ATC system had one routing received from the company's computer and one routing from sdq center. I contacted our sdq station personnel. They said that the routing that had been sent to mia through sdq center had been filed the night before with sdq center. This apparently is standard practice with sdq since the government requires some ATC filing at least 1 hour prior to departure. The station personnel file the routing that had been used the day before in order to avoid a delay caused by a late ATC filing. They then send the actual routing required by the flight release via facsimile when that is available. The company station personnel claim that they sent the actual routing prior to departure of the flight via facsimile. They researched the problem with sdq center and sdq center personnel claimed that the amended routing was sent on to ZMA just prior to the flight taking off from sdq. In my opinion this procedure of filing the flight plan the night before has inherent problems and should be immediately discontinued.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF AN ACR QUESTIONED THE COMPANY DISPATCHER WHY THEIR ATC CLRED RTE WAS DIFFERENT THAN THAT FILED. DISPATCHER LEARNED THAT SINCE THE ROUTES HAVE TO BE FILED AT LEAST 1 HR PRIOR TO DEP, A PREVIOUS DAY'S FLT IS FILED THE NIGHT BEFORE AND THEN THE ACTUAL ONE FAXED TO THE CTLING CTR JUST PRIOR TO DEP. THE DISPATCHER THINKS IT IS WRONG.

Narrative: FLT WAS CLRED BY ATC ALONG DIFFERENT RTE THAN FILED. WHEN CREW INQUIRED ABOUT ROUTING CHANGE, ATC SAID THAT THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE ROUTING FILED FOR THE FLT. THE CREW INFORMED THE DISPATCHER OF THE CONFUSION. I CONTACTED THE WATCH SUPVR IN ZMA. SHE ADVISED ME THAT THE ATC SYS HAD ONE ROUTING RECEIVED FROM THE COMPANY'S COMPUTER AND ONE ROUTING FROM SDQ CTR. I CONTACTED OUR SDQ STATION PERSONNEL. THEY SAID THAT THE ROUTING THAT HAD BEEN SENT TO MIA THROUGH SDQ CTR HAD BEEN FILED THE NIGHT BEFORE WITH SDQ CTR. THIS APPARENTLY IS STANDARD PRACTICE WITH SDQ SINCE THE GOV REQUIRES SOME ATC FILING AT LEAST 1 HR PRIOR TO DEP. THE STATION PERSONNEL FILE THE ROUTING THAT HAD BEEN USED THE DAY BEFORE IN ORDER TO AVOID A DELAY CAUSED BY A LATE ATC FILING. THEY THEN SEND THE ACTUAL ROUTING REQUIRED BY THE FLT RELEASE VIA FAX WHEN THAT IS AVAILABLE. THE COMPANY STATION PERSONNEL CLAIM THAT THEY SENT THE ACTUAL ROUTING PRIOR TO DEP OF THE FLT VIA FAX. THEY RESEARCHED THE PROB WITH SDQ CTR AND SDQ CTR PERSONNEL CLAIMED THAT THE AMENDED ROUTING WAS SENT ON TO ZMA JUST PRIOR TO THE FLT TAKING OFF FROM SDQ. IN MY OPINION THIS PROC OF FILING THE FLT PLAN THE NIGHT BEFORE HAS INHERENT PROBS AND SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY DISCONTINUED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.