MLG CREW HAD TRACK DEV BECAUSE THE FMC PROGRAMMED RTE WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE ATC CLRED RTE.

Narrative

UPON RECEIPT OF FLT RELEASE; I NOTICED THAT DISPATCH HAD GIVEN US AN UNUSUAL ROUTING TO MKE FOR WX AVOIDANCE. THE RELEASE AND THE FLT PLAN BOTH INDICATED ROUTING THAT DEPARTED IAH OVER LEONA (LOA); CEDAR CREEK (CQY); RANGER (FUZ); J25 TULSA; ETC. UPON RECEIPT OF THE PDC; BOTH OF US REVIEWED THE DISCUSSED THE UNUSUAL ROUTING TO MKE; BUT NEITHER OF US NOTICED THAT ATC HAD CHANGED OUR THIRD FIX. THEY HAD CHANGED RANGER (FUZ) TO BONHAM (BYP). AFTER XING OUR SECOND FIX (CQY); WE TURNED L TOWARD BYP. AFTER CONVERSATION WITH THE ATC CTLR AND RE-READING OUR PDC TWICE MORE; WE DISCOVERED THE DIFFERENCE BTWN OUR DISPATCH/FPR AND THE CHANGED PDC ROUTING. PDC'S HAVE HELPED REDUCE RADIO TFC AND IN SOME WAYS REDUCED PLT WORKLOAD; BUT I HAVE SOME CRITICISM OF THE CURRENT SYS. 1) PDC FORMATS ARE NOT STANDARDIZED FROM CITY TO CITY. 2) PDC'S CAN CONTAIN 2 DIFFERENT ROUTINGS. 3) PDC'S DO NOT CLRLY IDENT CHANGES MADE TO FILED FLT PLANS. IN YRS PASSED; CTLRS WOULD HAVE USED WORDING THAT POINTED OUT CHANGES IN ROUTING; IE; 'CLRED AS FILED EXCEPT....' WHY CAN'T PDC'S USE THE SAME ERROR MANAGING TECHNIQUES? WHY NOT JUST SAY; 'CLRED AS FILED EXCEPT...' RIGHT ON THE PDC? THE ERROR WE MADE WAS UNNECESSARY!