Commercial Fixed Wing
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Altitude Crossing Restriction Not Met; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors
We were filed on the GRNPA 1 RNAV arrival but given a clearance direct to the KSINO intersection and clearance to descend to FL 220. We had expected and briefed the RNAV visual approach to runway 19R. When we were cleared direct to KSINO were were told to expect an ILS to 25L. We were switched over to approach control without hearing or acknowledging any further descent clearance. When we switched over to approach control we were approaching the LUXOR intersection and were still at FL220.On initial contact the controller seemed a little confused and ask us if were were landing at LAS. We told her that we were and asked her why she was asking. She told us because we were crossing the LUXOR intersection at FL 220 when normally LAX center would have given us clearance to cross the intersection at 12;000 feet. We replied that were were never given a descend via or any other lower altitude.We were given a last minute runway change and were task saturated trying to set up and brief a new approach at the last minute. As a result we did not noticed that we were never given a lower altitude by LAX Center before approaching the LUXOR intersection. A contributing factor was that the First Officer (FO) was new to the Airplane; had about 100 hrs total time in type; and had never flown into LAS before.As has been said time and again concerning the descend via arrivals....'.if they just leave you on the route and give you a descend via from cruise altitude to the bottom altitude without any changes then things generally go smooth'. Once they give you directs and a descend to an intermediate altitude or take you off the route; that's when problems happen. Again; if we were given the assigned runway earlier were could have been less task saturated and noticed that we were approaching LUXOR without being given a lower altitude.
Crew of an A-319; inbound to LAS; was cleared by Center to descend to FL220 and to proceed direct to KSINO intersection; a fix on their filed arrival route. Approaching LUXOR intersection; which has a 12;000 feet crossing altitude restriction; crew was switched to Approach Control while still at FL220. Upon check-in with Approach Control; crew was informed that they were crossing LUXOR too high. Crew replied that they had not been given a lower altitude clearance.