B737 Next Generation Undifferentiated
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 179; Flight Crew Total 12085; Flight Crew Type 2851
Confusion; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Procedure; Chart Or Publication; Human Factors
To start out; ATC stated that no violations had occurred; only that this occurrence has occurred many times in the past. Therefore; I am filing this report. I personally contacted Tower and Center to speak to them about this issue; as Center told me on climbout that this was occurring frequently. Our flight plan is always filed as ALPIN2 KICKNE DCT SWEAT; but the clearance we received from Tower is ALPINE2 and either DIRECT SWEAT or the SWEAT TRANSITION.Now since all clearances are verbal; the confusion could arise if it is not clearly understood by the crew as to whether you are cleared DIRECT SWEAT or SWEAT TRANSITION. Yesterday we thought we were cleared ALPIN 2 then SWEAT; so on the taxi out we contacted Ground for clarification as to AFTER KICKNE DIRECT SWEAT? Ground stated 'I never stated KICKNE; I stated SWEAT.' So we flew the ALPIN 2 DIRECT SWEAT as our flight plan exactly stated but by doing this we bypassed BPI fix.
B737 NG Captain reported recurring confusion over how a SID clearance was issued; resulting in deviation from the expected course.