B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Total 20000
ATC Issue All Types; Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Chart Or Publication; Aircraft; Procedure
The [implementation] of new departure and arrival procedures with multiple fixes; speeds and waypoints will likely lead to more deviations/violations; close calls; and increased accident risk. The desirableness of precise location and energy states of aircraft for ATC and commercial pressures is not worth the cost. Every new target [fix/waypoint] with speed and/or altitude [constraints] is now a potentially critical [compliance] point and there are way too many of them.  Proper attention to these targets is a high workload task that pilots will not be able to reliably accomplish.  Meanwhile; they are neglecting other needful attentions. Eventually some of these waypoints with their criteria will be missed even while attention to other critical duties is neglected.  Rule makers should be attentive to the possibility that there are issues in aviation other than ATC compliance for the safe operation of aircraft but these needful practices are now being sidelined.Worsening the problem; the procedures are not being flown as published but are continually being modified by ATC with heading speed and altitude changes followed by resume instructions.   In the past; such changes were easily accomplished in a comparatively heads up manner by mode control inputs.  Now; pilots are trying to enter then re enter these changes on the FMC. These heads down actions distract from a visual lookout and again; attentions to other inflight responsibilities.Finally; having a single waypoint point with restrictions would allow a fuel efficient profile to be selected [and flown]. I have never seen the throttles and speed rakes move around as they do on these recent profiles; needlessly wasting our fuel and again deteriorating safety.
A B737 Captain addressed his concerns over the proliferating number of complex SIDs and STARs which he feels predictably increase flight crew workload and increase the risk of deviations and separation issues while frequently not providing the vaunted increased efficiency for which they were developed.