A319
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 200; Flight Crew Total 10000; Flight Crew Type 3000
Training / Qualification; Confusion
Deviation - Altitude Undershoot; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors; Procedure
Cleared SSTIK1 departure; after takeoff assigned heading 270 for traffic; then further left to a heading of 180. SID requires at or below 10000 feet at PORTE; no other altitude assigned. Before reaching PORTE; received left turn to 090; direct NTELL when able. As Pilot Flying I leveled off at 10000 feet; since we were still North of PORTE and never received clearance to resume SSTIK1 departure nor had there been a different altitude assigned. SID clearly states; after PORTE; on transition; continue climb to FL190. We never reached PORTE; never received clearance to resume/join the transition; all vectoring was before PORTE. It sounded like the controller has expected us to continue our climb to FL190 without ever reaching PORTE or rejoining the departure transition.
Climbing out on the SSTIK 1 SID in SFO. We were climbing to our initial climb restriction of 10;000 feet as published on SID. We were given a heading off course at about 7;500 feet. We then were instructed to fly a heading direct to a fix NTELL. We leveled off at 10;000 feet thinking center would give us higher since we never reached our initial fix PORTE which was our 10;000 foot restriction. About 1 minute into the new heading direct NTELL center gave us a turn back off course and asked why we have not climbed to 19;000 feet?
A319 flight crew departing SFO on the SSTIK1 reports receiving several vectors and ultimately direct NTELL; prior to reaching PORTE. The crew levels at 10;000 feet since they have not passed PORTE; which is not what ATC was expecting.