Narrative:

I am writing this safety report to highlight my great concern with the practice of 'standard taxi routing.' the following occurred in lax and although there were no incidents; I felt the event that I was being set up for a problem. We were given an unscheduled deadhead to lax due to a cancellation. We arrived at lax and pushed 13 mins late. Initial taxi instructions were to join taxiway east and hold short of D-10. Ground also advised us that we should get airborne in 8 mins; if possible. We were taking off to the east; something I had not done in 13 yrs of flying with company. My first officer had not done this either. We were being very deliberate in our taxi due to unfamiliarity with the taxi routing and the east side of the airfield. After joining taxiway east; the ground controller told us to taxi to runway 7L via the south route. I glanced at my first officer and saw him looking in the chart for the route. As I did not have the page out and did not want to go heads down; I asked the controller to read the south route to us. This call was blocked and I made the call again. The controller advised us the south route was to join taxiway south and hold short of taxiway C and call south ground at chkpoint #2. As I approached taxiway south on taxiway east; the controller said that it looked like we were not going to join taxiway D so just to taxi to taxiway south and go sbound. I turned left on taxiway Q; joined taxiway D and then went south on taxiway south. The rest of taxi was uneventful. Reviewing the page later in the flight; it says to join taxiway south from taxiway D but we were not given this clearance from ground. This is my main point for writing this safety report. I do not feel that we or the ground controller did anything wrong. But I do feel that the use of 'standard taxi rtes' is an unsafe practice and should be discontinued. They exist at many of our large airports but are seldom used. In this case; we were told we should get airborne fairly quickly and then given a south route. This tends to pull your head down into the cockpit and away from looking outside. And these clrncs are usually given at a time when traffic on the field is busy and this is not the time to be reading a seldom used and sometimes confusing taxi clearance. We should probably have stopped to read the routing but had a time constraint and lax ground probably wouldn't want you to stop anyway. To me; it's a recipe for an incident or worse. That's why my practice is to have ground give me the routing verbally unless I'm sure I know it. Further; if you read the last sentence of the south route at lax; it seems to indicate it is to be used for runway 25R and we were going to runway 7L; again; something I had never done.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR DESCRIBED CONFUSED SITUATION WHEN LAX GND ISSUED A 'STANDARD TAXI ROUTE' CLRNC; FLT CREW UNFAMILIAR WITH SAME AS WELL AS ARPT EAST OPS.

Narrative: I AM WRITING THIS SAFETY RPT TO HIGHLIGHT MY GREAT CONCERN WITH THE PRACTICE OF 'STANDARD TAXI ROUTING.' THE FOLLOWING OCCURRED IN LAX AND ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO INCIDENTS; I FELT THE EVENT THAT I WAS BEING SET UP FOR A PROB. WE WERE GIVEN AN UNSCHEDULED DEADHEAD TO LAX DUE TO A CANCELLATION. WE ARRIVED AT LAX AND PUSHED 13 MINS LATE. INITIAL TAXI INSTRUCTIONS WERE TO JOIN TXWY E AND HOLD SHORT OF D-10. GND ALSO ADVISED US THAT WE SHOULD GET AIRBORNE IN 8 MINS; IF POSSIBLE. WE WERE TAKING OFF TO THE E; SOMETHING I HAD NOT DONE IN 13 YRS OF FLYING WITH COMPANY. MY FO HAD NOT DONE THIS EITHER. WE WERE BEING VERY DELIBERATE IN OUR TAXI DUE TO UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE TAXI ROUTING AND THE E SIDE OF THE AIRFIELD. AFTER JOINING TXWY E; THE GND CTLR TOLD US TO TAXI TO RWY 7L VIA THE S RTE. I GLANCED AT MY FO AND SAW HIM LOOKING IN THE CHART FOR THE RTE. AS I DID NOT HAVE THE PAGE OUT AND DID NOT WANT TO GO HEADS DOWN; I ASKED THE CTLR TO READ THE S RTE TO US. THIS CALL WAS BLOCKED AND I MADE THE CALL AGAIN. THE CTLR ADVISED US THE S RTE WAS TO JOIN TXWY S AND HOLD SHORT OF TXWY C AND CALL S GND AT CHKPOINT #2. AS I APCHED TXWY S ON TXWY E; THE CTLR SAID THAT IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE NOT GOING TO JOIN TXWY D SO JUST TO TAXI TO TXWY S AND GO SBOUND. I TURNED L ON TXWY Q; JOINED TXWY D AND THEN WENT S ON TXWY S. THE REST OF TAXI WAS UNEVENTFUL. REVIEWING THE PAGE LATER IN THE FLT; IT SAYS TO JOIN TXWY S FROM TXWY D BUT WE WERE NOT GIVEN THIS CLRNC FROM GND. THIS IS MY MAIN POINT FOR WRITING THIS SAFETY RPT. I DO NOT FEEL THAT WE OR THE GND CTLR DID ANYTHING WRONG. BUT I DO FEEL THAT THE USE OF 'STANDARD TAXI RTES' IS AN UNSAFE PRACTICE AND SHOULD BE DISCONTINUED. THEY EXIST AT MANY OF OUR LARGE ARPTS BUT ARE SELDOM USED. IN THIS CASE; WE WERE TOLD WE SHOULD GET AIRBORNE FAIRLY QUICKLY AND THEN GIVEN A S RTE. THIS TENDS TO PULL YOUR HEAD DOWN INTO THE COCKPIT AND AWAY FROM LOOKING OUTSIDE. AND THESE CLRNCS ARE USUALLY GIVEN AT A TIME WHEN TFC ON THE FIELD IS BUSY AND THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE READING A SELDOM USED AND SOMETIMES CONFUSING TAXI CLRNC. WE SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE STOPPED TO READ THE ROUTING BUT HAD A TIME CONSTRAINT AND LAX GND PROBABLY WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO STOP ANYWAY. TO ME; IT'S A RECIPE FOR AN INCIDENT OR WORSE. THAT'S WHY MY PRACTICE IS TO HAVE GND GIVE ME THE ROUTING VERBALLY UNLESS I'M SURE I KNOW IT. FURTHER; IF YOU READ THE LAST SENTENCE OF THE S RTE AT LAX; IT SEEMS TO INDICATE IT IS TO BE USED FOR RWY 25R AND WE WERE GOING TO RWY 7L; AGAIN; SOMETHING I HAD NEVER DONE.

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.