You are required to have the latest ATIS before taxiing out or checking in with approach controller and so therefore it's been established FAA and ICAO procedure as mentioned in the FAA AIM and many ICAO equivalent publications you MUST repeat the ATIS code on initial call up for taxi or when checking in with approach. When you don't they have to ask you for it, and this happens almost all the time with us.
Even if you do check on with the latest ATIS identifier at the end of your transmission as often as not ATC still asks do you have "Echo" (current atis).
Sometimes I wonder why we even bother.
This is not a slam on controllers but just a recognition of the fact that we all can and do miss small details at times.
Last edited by Stearperson; 28th October 2008 at 20:29.