bookworm wrote:
As bosco says, there’s a bit of an art to that. Generally, controllers will give you the next direct when they can. There are points on the route above when I know I can prompt for direct KENUM (going east) or direct COA (going west), but if you ask too often it becomes a nag.
I now realize I hadn’t been clear. I meant asking (nicely, if they are not busy), something like “out of curiosity, noticed never get direct A → B, wondering what’s the restriction”, something like that. Not actually asking all the time for the direct.
I am pretty sure a few ATCOs have been swearing about me on the side of the mic. I tend to be rather the persistent type. 
But it does pay off. Often (not so much in Germany, but in other countries) one gets offered nothing by the controller’s own initaitive. Then you ask for something and they first say “negative”. But this exchange often triggers a process, and a couple of minutes later, he/she gives you a nice shortcut, sometimes more than you expected. But you would have never got it, had you not asked for something. In other words: you would have needlessly wasted fuel and time, just because the controller was sleeping and not doing his job.
I actually like this aspect of walking this fine line when flying IFR…
