AN ACR MD80 FO RPTS THAT CAPT ON THIS FLT FAILED TO FOLLOW HIS COMPANY OPS SPECS AND REFUSES TO COOPERATE WITH COMPANY DISPATCHER CONCERNING OVERWATER ROUTING.

Narrative

JFK-MYNN (NASSAU) ON FEB/XA/99. ORIGINALLY RTED BY DISPATCH OVER LAND BUT CAPT UNILATERALLY RERTED OVER WATER DIW AR7 BR63V TO NAS. ENRTE; DISPATCH SENT AN ACARS MESSAGE STATING THAT ACFT WE WERE FLYING WAS NOT ALLOWED ON OVERWATER RTES REGARDING OUR OPS SPECS. CAPT MADE COMMENT THAT; BECAUSE THE ACFT WE WERE FLYING HAD LIFE VESTS INSTALLED; THE 'OPS SPECS PROBABLY JUST HAD NOT BEEN UPDATED.' THE CAPT CONTINUED ON THE OVERWATER RTE TO NASSAU. ON THE RETURN FLT; ACR Y NAS-JFK; THE DISPATCHER AGAIN RTED THE FLT OVER THE FLORIDA LAND RTE. SEEING THIS; THE CAPT INSTRUCTED ME TO GET A CLRNC. I SAID WE CAN CALL DISPATCH FROM INSIDE THE TERMINAL AND HE SAID NO; GET THE CLRNC FROM NASSAU CLRNC DELIVERY NOW. I KNEW THIS IMPRUDENT AND RATIONALIZING BY THE CAPT; BUT BECAUSE I'D FLOWN WITH HIM BEFORE AND WAS FULLY AWARE OF HIS NEAR DICTATORIAL STYLE OF MGMNT; I COMPLIED WITH HIS REQUEST AND GOT THE CLRNC AS INSTRUCTED. I FELT THAT SAFETY OF FLT WAS NOT AN ISSUE AND THIS WAS A CONTEST BTWN THE CAPT AND THE DISPATCHER. CURRENT CRM TRAINING EMPHASIZES CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE CREW MEMBERS CAN FREELY EXPRESS THEIR INPUTS ON SITS THEY DON'T LIKE. HOWEVER; TRAINING A 'LEOPARD TO CHANGE HIS SPOTS' IS ANOTHER BALL GAME; AND IS AN AREA THAT MAY MERIT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT.