Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Training / Qualification; Confusion
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Procedure
While deviating around weather at FL240; 'PARQR fix when able;' - the ATL CTR clears flight to descend via the PARQR 1 RNAV Arrival landing south. We query that we are not direct PARQR. Controller re-states clearance. We decline; but say once we go direct; we can be cleared to descend via. The two following aircraft get same clearance and have the same disagreement. After the third aircraft; controller says that is how he was trained to do it. The FAA inspector riding with us; agreed with our interpretation and said; if we had left F240; it would have been considered an altitude deviation. Evidently; ATC trains controllers differently from how pilots are trained.
[Report narrative contained no additional information.]
An air carrier flight crew deviating for weather was cleared by ZTL to Descend Via the CLT PARQR 1 but refused because the flight was off track and not flying the arrival.