ALT XING RESTR NOT MET.

Narrative

WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO JFK; THEN; ABOUT 20 MI SHORT OF JFK; WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO RAALF INTXN AND GIVEN A DSCNT CLRNC TO CROSS 40 MI SW OF RAALF INTXN AT FL240. BOTH OF US COPIED THE CLRNC; WROTE IT DOWN; THEN; AS THE OMEGA TURNED TO TAKE US DIRECT TO RAALF INTXN; BOTH OF US DROPPED THE 40 MI SW PART OF THE XING RESTR FROM OUR MINDS AND SET UP THE DSCNT TO CROSS RAALF INTXN AT FL240. THE ATC CTLR ASKED US; AS HE SAW OUR LATE DSCNT; IF WE HAD BEEN ISSUED A XING RESTR; AND WE SAID WE HAD BEEN GIVEN RAALF INTXN AT FL240. HE SAID THAT HE THOUGHT HE HAD GIVEN US 40 MI SW OF RAALF INTXN AT FL240; AND THEN WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD MADE THE ERROR. WE DO NOT THINK THERE WAS ANY TFC CONFLICT (WE PASSED JFK AT XA06Z); AND THE CTLR DID NOT SEEM UPSET. WE HAD THE TIME TO DISCUSS IT WITH HIM; AND WE CONCLUDED THAT THE XING RESTR OUGHT NOT TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN AS A DISTANCE FROM A FIX TO WHICH WE WERE PROCEEDING DIRECT OFF AIRWAYS. IF THE CLRNC HAD BEEN TO CROSS THE 20 DME ARC OF JFK AT FL240 OR THE 40 DME ARC OF ORW AT FL240; THE ERROR WOULD PROBABLY NOT HAVE OCCURRED. THE CTLR AGREED; AND WE THINK THIS MIGHT BE A USEFUL PROCEDURAL CHANGE TO THE ATC CTLR'S MANUAL.