A320 FLT CREW TAXIING ON 1 ENG TO SAVE FUEL IS REQUESTED TO POS AND HOLD. UNABLE DUE TO STARTING OF SECOND ENG; ATC ISSUES TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO CREW TO RETURN TO BACK OF LINE.

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THIS RPT HIGHLIGHTS FUEL WASTE DUE TO ATC MISCOM. AT THE GATE PRIOR TO DEP; THE FLT CREW NOTED AN EDCT OF XB14 ON THE PDC. OUR SCHEDULED PUSH TIME WAS XA50 WITH PLANNED TAXI OUT TIME OF 18 MINS. UPON TAXI TO SPOT X (THIS IS SPOT FOR INITIAL CALL TO GND CTL); OUR INITIAL CALL TO GND WAS RETURNED WITH TAXI INSTRUCTIONS TO RWY 19L VIA TXWY K. WE NEXT QUERIED GND AS TO THE LATEST RELEASE TIME HE SHOWED; AND HE REPLIED THAT HIS STRIP SHOWED XB10 AND THAT WE CAN EXPECT TO BE RELEASED 5 MINS PRIOR TO THAT. AT THIS POINT; THE CURRENT TIME IS XA53; AND FLT CREW MADE DECISION TO CONTINUE TAXI ON SINGLE ENG FOR FUEL CONSERVATION AND TO BEGIN START OF SECOND ENG AT XB00 IN ANTICIPATION OF ATC RELEASE AT XB05. NEAR THE END OF THE TXWY K WE CONTACT TWR CTLR TO INFORM HIM THAT WE ARE AWARE OF RELEASE TIME AND TO ASK WHERE HE WOULD LIKE US TO PULL OVER AND AWAIT OUR LAST 8 MINS UNTIL OUR RELEASE. HIS REPLY WAS A QUICK 'CONTAC GND FOR THAT.' WE CALLED GND BACK AND HE INFORMED US WE SHOULD NOW BE ON TWR FREQ. WHEN WE INFORMED GND CTLR OF OUR EXCHANGE WITH TWR; HE INFORMED US THAT WE WOULD BE RELEASED SOON AND TO CONTACT TWR AGAIN; THE TIME IS NOW XA58. THE CREW MADE IMMEDIATE DECISION TO START REMAINING ENG AS WE NOW EXPECTED AN EARLY RELEASE FROM ATC. AS SOON AS WE SWITCHED BACK TO TWR WE HEARD 'ACR X; TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD RWY 19L.' WE THEN INFORMED HIM WE WERE STARTING THE #2 ENG AND WOULD NEED 3 MINS. TWR'S REPLY WAS 'YOU KNOW ACR X; HERE WHEN YOU ARE #1 AT THE RWY; YOU SHOULD BE READ TO GO. TAXI DOWN RWY 19L; TURN R ONTO TXWY K1 AND HOLD SHORT OF TXWY K; CONTACT GND AND LET THEM KNOW WHEN YOU ARE FINALLY READY.' WE WERE COMPLETE WITH ALL CHKLISTS BY XB02; BUT ATC PUT US BEHIND SEVERAL MORE ACFT IN THE DEP LINE-UP. WE FINALLY RECEIVED DEP CLRNC AT XB11. THIS RPT SHOWS THE FRUSTRATION CREWS HAVE WITH ATC MISCOM. I BELIEVE THE GND CTLR WAS VERY HELPFUL AND FORTHCOMING WITH INFO; BUT STRONGLY BELIEVE THE TWR CTLR WAS UNPROFESSIONAL AND ARROGANT. I WISH THIS CTLR UNDERSTOOD HOW HARD FLT CREWS ARE WORKING TO CONSERVE FUEL AND HOW WE NEED HIM TO WORK WITH US AND UNDERSTAND OUR LIMITATIONS. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE GND CTLR PUTTING US BACK INTO A TAXI SEQUENCE; I WONDER WHEN THIS CTLR WOULD HAVE ALLOWED US TO DEPART! I ALSO WROTE THIS RPT SO AS TO BRING TO YOUR ATTN WHAT I BELIEVE IS A LACK OF COORD AND PROFESSIONALISM IN GENERAL WITHIN THE IAD TWR CAB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THEY WERE ANTICIPATING A WAIT DUE TO THE EDCT (EXPECTED DEP CLRNC TIME) AND THAT THE COMPANY IS PROMOTING FUEL SAVINGS SO THEY TAXIED THE ACFT WITH 1 ENG AND THE APU OFF. HE AND THE FO DISCUSSED WITH THE GND CTLR AND THE TWR CTLR THE EDCT AND IF THEY WANTED THE ACFT POSITIONED OUT OF THE WAY UNTIL THE TIME ARRIVED; HOWEVER; NEITHER THE GND NOR TWR CTLRS APPEARED CONCERNED. AFTER ARRIVING AT THE #1 POS (HOLDING SHORT); A DISCUSSION WITH THE TWR CTLR INDICATED THAT THEY WERE #1 AND WERE THEY READY FOR TKOF. HE INDICATED TO THE CTL THAT IT WOULD BE SEVERAL MINS TO START THE ENG AND DO THE CHKLIST. AT THAT TIME THE TWR CTLR BECAME ANGRY AND AS HARSH IN HIS TONE WHEN HE CLRED THE ACFT TO TAXI BACK DOWN THE RWY AND EXIT. ADDITIONALLY; THE TWR CTLR STATED THAT 'WHEN YOU AE #1 YOU SHOULD BE READY FOR TKOF' IN A HARSH TONE. THE RPTR STATED THAT THE FLT CREW WERE ANTICIPATING THE DELAY DUE TO THE EDCT AND THAT WAS THE REASON FOR THE DELAYED START OF THE OTHER ENG. THE RPTR FELT THAT THE TWR CTLR'S ATTITUDE AND MANNER ON THE RADIO WAS NOT PROFESSIONAL.