You’re talking about a complete non-issue here @Flyer59. You basically flew DCT destination which was neither the original routing nor the first nor the second re-routing. This is how IFR works in well organized full radar environments like Germany. You should be happy about that!
On such a short flight, there will be no strong correlation between your flight plog / plan and what you actually fly. A re-routing is rare but it can happen as DFS are rather pragmatic (read: lazy) about reflecting route/airspace availabilities at IFPS. They just fix up things as required. It’s very rare on a weekend though as most inhibitors are not a factor there.
You could file a route with more airways and fewer DCTs which will reduce the likelihood of a re-routing (because airways availability is usually better reflected in IFPS) but then you still end up flying something else, often you get more overhead because multiple sectors are involved and the ATCO might just send you to his sector exit point as filed without looking where you’re actually planning to go.
Just forget about your PLOG, take enough fuel for twice the flight and relax 
Sorry, Achim, but that was not my point.
I just do not find it very helpful to stand in the run-up area for 20 minutes copying new waypoints. You think it’s necessary they give you a re-routing on such short notice?
Correction: Yes, the original route had many directs (contrary to what i preiviously said, stupid me) but is there a way to make autorouter to give you a more reliable routing?
Fuel: I always fly with full fuel, whenever possible. One less thing to think about.
They just fix up things as required. It’s very rare on a weekend though as most inhibitors are not a factor there.
To quote a DFS controller….aaaahhh let’s see what next waypoint I can give you, as your filed routing looks a bit strange
The next question is always do I want to stay below FL120 or am I able to climb to FL140 this brings me straight over Frankfurt. When not it’s a small detour via the south.
I have no complaints in Germany ATC often ask if I am happy with my Flight Level .
On the other hand indeed flight plan adherence would make life sometimes easier …when the planned overhead is low though :)
You’re talking about a complete non-issue here @Flyer59.
I hope it’s ok for you if I decide for myself whats an “issue” to me, and what is not. I am aware that (in the end) the whole thing was far from critical. But maybe you can just accept that it can make me nervous if I have planned a flight through bad weather (1:30 almost in IMC) meticously and with 2 kids on board – and then you get a complete re-routing at the holding point.
Today already i know what the better strategy would have been: to not discuss the routing with the ground controller but to simply take off and request heading changes to avoid weather. Yesterday I did about 10 of those …
IME they give you any re-routing together with the departure clearance, or sometimes a bit later, so one can’t escape from it.
Or maybe you mean to write down the new routing and ignore it?
When I got a re-route (not often) it was always just the first few waypoints and thereafter as filed. But maybe if you are doing a very short flight they might change the lot.
If, while on the ground, it’s obvious that some special direction will be needed to reach some blue patch of the sky, I tell them at the holding point, with a “due weather” request. It has never been refused; anyway I would refuse to depart if they did refuse.
Flyer59 wrote:
Flyer59 04-Oct-15 17:57 #03
I know I “shouldn’t” … but with two kids on the back seat (“are we almost there”, “can we watch the Star Wars movie tonight”, “I am hungry” ….) that’s easier said than done :-)What I really did not understand is why they gave me a re-routing with turns from 160 to 022 degrees … and that you have to discuss that stuff at the holding position until you get a proper routing …
Last Edited by Flyer59 at 04 Oct 17:58
The beauty about flying IFR in Europe is that I enter my waypoints at least the first 1/2 into the G430 and be assured that unless I ask for a short cut I will fly the route filed and acknowledged. That more of than not did not happen in the US. So you either get a new routing before you take off or which is a real pain in the air. N65… I have a new routing ready to copy? So yes there are a some things better in Europe.
Regarding the kids in the back. You just need a few more years of experience. After a while tuning them out will come naturally. Before I was able to successfully tune them out a favorite question was when are we going to get there? That was before we taxied to the runway. After takeoff within 10mins the same question . By the time we landed the same question was repeated a dozen times. To be fair there were two so it was only six times each. After a while I had learned to respond reflexily “in 5 mins”. Didnt matter when the question was asked it was always 5 mins. It took a while (about a year) before they stopped asking repeatedly.
I dont know about your updated strategy. I would rather be stressed on the ground then in the air. Especially with WX around.
I wonder what routing RR would have given. Never had a reroute with them. But then again some of the routes were out of the way. Thats when I would call them to help tweak it to something more reasonable. That is done before I file. But once I file and get an acknowledgement I get that route. Sometimes ATC shortens the route without my asking.
I am not a user of RR but for years used FlightPlanPro which is a free routing tool whose developer now works at RR and thus the code of the two is probably similar if not quite identical.
FPP works by routing and validating fairly standard routes, and relies heavily on inputs from users over the years since it originally appeared in 2008. AFAIK the code contains a large number (probably many hundreds) of hacks which are known to work.
And ATC tend to do the same, due to habits. For example if you fly UK to Germany, when you cross Belgium, regardless of what routing you get from Autorouter, ATC give you the L607
Judging from the chart snippet of yours, there does not seem to be much else than L607 across Belgium… 
