B767 CREW AT OGG BELIEVED; AFTER THE TWR CLOSED; THAT THEIR CLRNC CONTAINED A VOID TIME FOR DEP.

Narrative

CLRNC WAS OBTAINED APPROX 5-10 MINS PRIOR TO XA55Z; SCHEDULED PUSH FROM MAUI CLRNC. CLRNC WAS ISSUED WITHOUT RELEASE TIME BUT WITH A VOID TIME OF XB30Z; DCT CLUTTS; FL370. A SMALL DELAY AT THE GATE MEANT THAT TWR WAS CLOSED PRIOR TO PUSH. WE DEPARTED RWY 2 AND WERE OFF AT XB18Z. UPON FIRST CONTACT WITH CTR; WE WERE RELEASED AND INFORMED THAT WE SHOULD HAVE CALLED FOR RELEASE PRIOR TO TKOF; 'HOLD UNTIL RELEASED' WAS THE TERM USED. THERE WAS NO CONFLICTING TFC AND FLT PROCEEDED NORMALLY. LOOKING FOR SOME ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE ON THE MATTER; I REFED THE FOM. THE WORDING OF THE FOM LEADS ME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT ABSENCE OF A SPECIFIC RELEASE TIME IN THE CLRNC RELEASED US WHEN READY AND AN ADDITIONAL CONTACT PRIOR TO TKOF WOULD ONLY BE REQUIRED IF WE WENT PAST THE VOID TIME. THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME CONFUSION WHEN PUSH AND TKOF TIMES SPAN THE TWR CLOSING TIME. IF THE TWR IS CLOSED; AND CLRNC IS OBTAINED FROM CTR; THEY GENERALLY REQUEST A CALL FOR RELEASE PRIOR TO TKOF. MAUI CLRNC ISSUED NO SUCH REQUIREMENT; NOR DOES THE FOM CALL FOR SUCH A CONTACT. THERE APPEARS TO BE A NEED TO STANDARDIZE PROCS FOR FLTS DEPARTING AT OR NEAR TWR CLOSING TIME.