DEP ACR B737-500 GIVEN DELAY VECTORS WHEN THE DEP CTLR AT PHL IS UNABLE TO EFFECT A HDOF TO ZNY. RPTR CITES CONFUSION DUE TO HDOF DELAYS WITH HIGH WORKLOADS ON ATC AND FLC. RPTR WAS TOLD THAT THE 'DULLES HIGH ARRS' PROC WAS THE CULPRIT.

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LEVEL AT 10000 FT AFTER NORMAL TKOF FROM PHL. PROCEEDING DIRECT TO MXE VOR; APCHING MXE; DEP CTL ADVISED THAT SHE WAS UNABLE TO MAKE A HDOF TO ZNY AND THAT WE SHOULD TURN TO HDG 090 DEGS AND MAINTAIN 10000 FT. I QUESTIONED L OR R TURN TWICE AND FINALLY WAS TOLD L TURN TO HDG 090 DEGS (WE WERE HDG APPROX 270 DEGS AT THE TIME). AT APPROX 120 DEG HDG; WE WERE CLRED DIRECTLY TO MXE VOR TO HOLD 'W AS PUBLISHED -- EFC AB45.' THE CLOSEST WAY BACK TO MXE WAS A R TURN WHICH WE MADE BECAUSE OF NO MORE INSTRUCTIONS. APPARENTLY THE CTLR ASSUMED WE WOULD TURN L TO MXE BECAUSE SHE QUESTIONED OUR DIRECTION OF TURN. SHE ACCEPTED OUR EXPLANATION AS WE WERE LESS THAN 8 MI FROM MXE. BECAUSE OF OTHER TFC THE CTLR WAS CONSTANTLY BUSY. AFTER CHKING ALL HIGH AND LOW MAPS I COULD NOT FIND A PUBLISHED HOLDING PATTERN AT MXE. PRIOR TO REACHING MXE; DEP CTL ADVISED US TO MAINTAIN OUR HEADING TO INTERCEPT THE MXE 278 DEG RADIAL AND THEN PROCEED FLT PLAN RTE. I QUESTIONED IF THE HDOF WAS MADE AND SHE CONFIRMED IT WAS. WE WERE SWITCHED TO ZNY WHERE THE CTLR ADVISED THAT THE ENTIRE PROB WAS CAUSED BY A PROGRAM CALLED 'DULLES HIGH' CONCERNING INTL ARRS AT IAD. THERE WERE NO VIOLATIONS -- JUST MASS CONFUSION ON ATC'S AND OUR PART. ATC WAS VERY BUSY AND WE WERE BUSY. I WILL ADVISE THE ATC DEPT OF MY COMPANY OF THE 'DULLES HIGH' PROGRAM TO SEE IF ANY CHANGES CAN BE MADE. I THINK THAT DEP RTES SHOULD BE MODIFIED FROM PHL TO AVOID THIS PROB.