B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 80; Flight Crew Total 28000; Flight Crew Type 4500
Situational Awareness; Workload; Communication Breakdown; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Procedure; Weather; Airport; Environment - Non Weather Related
Arriving in the DEN area; late afternoon; with many thunderstorms and build-ups to the west of DEN playing havoc with charted arrivals. We were assigned three different RNAV arrivals in the space of 15 minutes when each became untenable due to weather. In one instance when we told the Controller we needed to deviate for weather; his initial response was 'UNABLE.' That was not the response [I] was looking for and was ready to declare and emergency but before I could do that he came back and cleared us for the right deviation. While these new arrivals may serve someone's purpose; they are complicated; cumbersome; have too many restrictions; altitude limitations; and are cluttered beyond belief. Throw in a few thunderstorms on the arrival and they become impossible. Just assigning another arrival does NOT help the situation in a cockpit that is already up to its ears attempting to avoid weather.
In a fifteen minute period; an air carrier crew was issued three different RNAV arrivals from the West because of weather and was prepared to declare an emergency to avoid a thunderstorm just as ATC issued an acceptable vector.