AN AIRBUS A320 CAPTAIN REALIZES AFTER DISPATCH THAT AN INCORRECT MEL REFERENCE RESULTED IN RELEASING THE ACFT WITHOUT A REVIEW AND PROPER RESTRICTION DUE TO LEFT PACK INOP.

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I AM WRITING THIS RPT TO ADDRESS WHAT APPEARS TO BE A BAD MEL REF THAT RESULTED IN RELEASING THE ACFT WITHOUT REVIEW AND PROPER RESTR. THE ACFT WAS WORKED ON BY CONTRACT MAINT AT ZZZ. MAINT POSTED A DEFERRAL ON A PACK 1 OVERHEAT AND INVOKED MEL. THE PACK FLOW CTL VALVE WAS WIRED CLOSED AND THERE WAS A NOTE TO 'REFER TO THE MAINT RELEASE FOR PACK INOP DEFERRAL.' HOWEVER; THERE WAS NOT A PACK DEFERRAL REFED OR INCLUDED IN THE MAINT RELEASE; AS NOTHING 'AUTOMATICALLY' CAME UP WHEN ZZZ MAINT SIGNED IT OFF. SO; POINT AND CLICK; MAINT OK'ED IT; POINT AND CLICK DISPATCH AND NO REVIEW; POINT AND CLICK CAPT DEFECT LOOKS CORRECTLY DEFERRED. WE CLBED TO FL310 ENRTE TO OUR FLT PLANNED FL370 WITH PACK 1 OFF. WE BEGAN TO QUESTION HOW WE COULD GO ABOVE FL310 WITH ONLY 1 PACK. WE LEFT IT OFF BECAUSE MAINT LEFT IT OFF. IT SEEMED RIGHT AND SINCE WE DON'T GET OR FOLLOW THE MAINT INSTRUCTIONS IN A DEFERRAL; WE THOUGHT IT WAS OK. WE STOPPED OUR CLB AT FL310 AND WROTE NOTES TO BOTH DISPATCH AND MAINT CTLR. DISPATCH WAS CONVINCED THERE WAS NO RESTR; AND TOLD US SO NONCHALANTLY. MAINT CTLR ALSO BECAME AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND AGREED WITH OUR FL310 DECISION AND SAID THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PACK DEFERRAL ALSO. THIS WAS LIKELY MISSED BECAUSE IT WAS BURIED IN THE VERBIAGE AND UNDER THE CREW COMMENTS. MAINT CTLR THOUGHT; AND CONCURRED WITH US; THAT THE MEL WAS POORLY WRITTEN AND WOULD ADDRESS IT WITH ENGINEERING. IN THIS SITUATION; THERE WERE MULTIPLE ISSUES. WAS CONTRACT MAINT SLOPPY AND HAD EASY METHODS TO DEFER THE PACK PROPERLY? OR WAS THERE NO AUTOMATIC DEFERRAL LINK BTWN MELS? AND; MAINT CTLR; DISPATCH; CONTRACT MAINT; AND THE PLTS ALL POINTED AND CLICKED IT AWAY AND AS A RESULT DID NOT HAVE AN REVIEW OR PROPERLY PLANNED FLT. THERE WAS NOT ANY ADVERSITY OR LOW FUEL ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE FLT; JUST SOME UNCOMFORTABLE REALIZATIONS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED.