B737-300 FLC DSNDED BELOW CLRED ALT WHILE FLYING KSINO RNAV 1 ARR TO LAS.

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ALTDEV. FO FLYING KSINO 1 ARR INTO LAS. INITIALLY CLRED 'DIRECT KSINO FOR THE KSINO 1 ARR.' LATER WE WERE GIVEN 'DIRECT LUXOR; KSINO 1 ARR; CROSS LUXOR AT AND MAINTAIN 12000 FT; 250 KIAS.' I ACKNOWLEDGED; THEN WENT OFF FREQ TO GET ATIS; AND AGAIN A FEW MINS LATER TO GET OUR GATE. WHILE I WAS GETTING THE GATE FROM LAS OPS; FO CROSSED LUXOR AT 12000 FT; 250 KIAS; AND DIALED IN 10000 FT IN THE ALT WINDOW FOR MIRAJ AND BEGAN THE DSCNT. I CAME BACK ON FREQ AND ASKED THE FO 'CLRED TO 10?' HIS ANSWER WAS; 'YES; CROSS MIRAJ AT 10.' 1 MIN LATER; LAS APCH ASKED US TO 'SAY ALT.' I ANSWERED; '10800 FT FOR MIRAJ AT 10.' HER RESPONSE WAS 'YOU WERE NOT CLRED TO DSND VIA THE KSINO 1 ARR.' I TOLD HER I WAS SORRY; THAT WE MISUNDERSTOOD AND ASKED HER WHAT SHE WOULD LIKE US TO DO NOW. SHE GAVE US A VECTOR AND A DSCNT TO 8500 FT AND WE CONTINUED OUR ARR INTO LAS. DISCUSSION WITH MY FO REVEALED THAT HE ERRONEOUSLY THOUGHT CLRNC FOR THE ARR INCLUDED CLRNC FOR ALL MANDATORY ALTS AS WELL ON RNAV APCHS. NUMEROUS NOTAMS AND COMPANY NOTICES BACK AND FORTH ON THE VEGAS RNAV STUFF ADDED TO HIS CONFUSION. I INSTRUCTED MY FO THAT FOR ANY ARR; RNAV OR OTHERWISE; THAT CLRNC FOR THE ARR DOES NOT INCLUDE CLRNC TO DSND UNLESS GIVEN THE MAGIC WORDS 'DSND VIA THE....' I THEN SHOWED HIM AIRWAY MANUAL AND ATC REF. MY FO IS STILL FAIRLY NEW. LESSON LEARNED: FOR ME; NEXT TIME I COME BACK ON FREQ; I WILL VERIFY A NEW ALT BY ASKING; 'UNDERSTAND WE WERE TOLD TO DSND VIA....?' WE LIVE AND LEARN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 568581: SUBSEQUENTLY; THE CAPT AND I DISCUSSED THE SIT; REVIEWED RNAV PROCS; DISCUSSED OUR ORIGINAL CLRNC; REVIEWED THE APPLICABLE COMMERCIAL CHART SECTION ON ATC PROCS AND THE REQUIREMENT TO RECEIVE THE EXACT PHRASEOLOGY OF 'CLRED TO DSND VIA THE XXXXX ARR.' WE ALSO DISCUSSED CREW COORD AND THE CONSTANT REQUIREMENT TO 'TRUST BUT VERIFY' WITH REGARD TO ALT ASSIGNMENTS AND CLRNCS. BEING INEXPERIENCED WITH RNAV ARRS WAS A FACTOR BUT NOT THE MAIN ONE.