MD80 CAPT CONCERNED WITH DELAY IMPACT TO FLT DUE TO UNAVAILABILITY OF ACARS; CLRNC AMENDMENTS DUE TO WX AT DEST; AND ORD CLRNC DELIVERY CTLR'S COMMENTS.

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NO ACARS CLRNC AT ORD. CALLED CLRNC DELIVERY AND WERE ISSUED A SWAP RTE TO PBI. I DID NOT HAVE SWAP RTES IN MY FLT MANUAL. FO HAD RTES; BUT THEY DID NOT MATCH CLRNC. I REQUESTED A FULL RTE READBACK AND WE WERE TOLD TO STAND BY. AFTER SEVERAL MINS; CLRNC DELIVERY STATED THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE TIME FOR FULL RTE READBACK AND TO CALL COMPANY FOR THE RTE. AT THIS POINT; I DELAYED THE DEP TO CALL DISPATCH; UPLINK A NEW FLT PLAN; SET UP THE GFMS AND RADIOS; AND BRIEF TO MAKE SURE WE AGREED ON THE PLAN AND LEGALITY. AFTER TKOF; I CONFIRMED RTE WITH CTR. SEVERAL ISSUES HERE: 1) DID COMPANY REMOVE SWAP RTES FROM OUR COMMERCIAL CHART TO SAVE MONEY; OR DID I MISS A REVISION? 2) THERE WAS NO WX AT ORD OR IN THE AREA THAT IMPACTED OPS OR REQUIRED A DEV. WHY WAS ORD ISSUING SWAP RTES? 3) SINCE WHEN DID CLRNC DELIVERY TELL US TO CONTACT COMPANY INSTEAD OF PROVIDING A FULL RTE READBACK? THIS HAS BEEN A HIGH INTEREST COMPANY ITEM THIS YR. ALTHOUGH I BELIEVE THAT WE WERE LEGAL; I WAS NOT CONFIDENT THAT WE WERE CORRECT UNTIL AFTER TALKING TO CTR.