Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Workload; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Procedure
We were filed and cleared to fly to DFW on the BRDJE 1 RNAV ARRIVAL. At the time DFW was landing south. Before leaving a ROUTE-LEGS check was accomplished including all the airspeeds and altitudes on the BRDJE 1 ARRIVAL. Descending into DFW and after departing SEEVR; the Controller called and asked us to verify that we were on the SEEVR arrival and I looked down at the PDC and told the First Officer (FO) to respond that our clearance was on the BRDJE arrival. The Controller then issued instructions to descend to 12;000 feet as quickly as possible and started giving vectors in order to get us down and in sequence to land on Runway 17C. After talking through this with the FO; we realized another controller had told us previously when we were in the descent; that after SEEVR; to fly the SEEVR 1. We looked down at the NAV display and saw that we were heading to SEEVR and wondered why the controller would say that. I wondered if the controller wanted us to descend via the arrival. So the FO queried the controller and asked if he wanted us to descend via and he said no; just fly the SEEVR ARRIVAL. Seeing the SEEVR fix on the display; it did not register to either me or the FO that the controller was; in fact; changing the arrival.I realize that we did not get the message that the controller was changing the arrival from the BRDJE 1 to the SEEVR 1. Because the route-legs check had been accomplished back before we left we did not notice that it was a Landing North arrival when DFW was landing south. But having said that; this problem started all the way back before we even left the gate.First: We were filed on the BRDJE1 when DFW was landing south. We have seen on so many flights where the dispatcher has filed us on one arrival landing one direction when we know the airport is landing the other direction. Enroute; we hear other flights talking to FT Worth Center trying to change the arrival enroute and they're told to wait until they get to DFW. Second: We did everything we could to ensure the filed routing was correct in the FMS; including doing an airspeed and altitude check on every fix of the arrival into DFW. Most of the time I tell the FO that we will check all of those points sometime prior to the actual arrival about 45 minutes to an hour away. That would have more likely allowed us to catch this error. Third: The SEEVR 1 and the BRDJE 1 both have the SEEVR and BRDJE fixes which from a human factors perspective is just asking for trouble. I think this is an issue that needs to be changed. Fourth: If the controller had said; 'This is a change from the BRDJE 1 to the SEEVR 1' we would have more clearly realized what the controller was trying to say. Finally: If we would have taken a closer look at what the controller said to us approaching SEEVR we may have caught this error. But we did already realize that what the controller had said was slightly odd and we queried if he wanted us to descend via and he said no. We are constantly striving to be extremely vigilant on these new arrivals. Both the FO and I expressed a desire to not be someone who made an error and despite our best efforts; we just did not catch this. The controller was great and very quick to remedy the situation and get us back where we needed to be.
Both the Captain and I are very careful and conscientious people. We had spoken earlier about some human factors classes at the schoolhouse and how some things ATC says should be RED FLAGS for your present situation. When ATC assigned me an arrival I was 'already on' I thought he meant altitude. That was my RED FLAG that ATC was assigning us a change. I missed it. DARN IT!If ATC would say the words 'Change to your arrival routing' I would have caught on or better yet PLEASE stop using the same intersection names on these arrivals. That has thrown me off several times when trying to pull up an arrival in my iPad that has a fix named the same as another arrival. Co-Locate two intersections with different names if you need to; but having too many boys named 'Jim' in gym class is not going to be a gem of an experience. I just made that up; but I hope you get the point.
An air carrier crew cleared to SEEVR intersection was confused about their DFW STAR because their arrival changed from the BRDJE 1 RNAV to the SEEVR 1 while enroute and SEEVR is a shared waypoint.