B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Type 2014
Confusion; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Procedure; Company Policy
When cleared to line up and wait for 26R; we were asked to confirm that the [other aircraft] in front was in sight. He was definitely in sight as he was only a couple hundred feet in front of us as he was pushing up the power for takeoff. This odd procedure is apparently used to keep the separation between departing airplanes to a minimum; therefore allowing more departures and increasing capacity. The problem is; seeing an airplane directly in front of me while taxing 5 kts has ZERO impact on whether or not I'll be able to see him in a few short moments when we have a 15-20 degree nose up climb attitude on departure. So when ATC tells us to maintain visual separation with the departing aircraft once we're airborne; based on seeing him on the ground as we take the runway; it seems ridiculous at best; and unsafe at worst.
B737 Captain reported ATC requested them to maintain visual separation from a preceding departure while they were still taxiing to the runway.