I’m flying the default A320. Can someone explain how “direct to” works on the MCDU? If I am flying a flight plan and all my waypoints are in the MCDU I select direct to then select a waypoint. My two options are insert and erase. I figure if I select insert then it will delete all the waypoints before that and fly direct to the waypoint and then continues the plan from there but that doesn’t seem to be the way it works. Can someone explain it to me or lead me in the right direction because I am missing something here. Thanks
Someone correct me if I’m wrong but if I remember correctly pressing DIR will skip the next waypoints until you reach the waypoint that you set the DIR to.
For example:
You just passed Waypoint A, and your next waypoint is B, then C, then D, then E. Then you set Dir to D, and what it does is skipping waypoint B and C so that you can fly direct to D, then continues to E and the rest of the flight plan.
To keep it simple, yes @Neo4316, that is correct. One other thing it will do, given the scenario:
If you are in HDG mode per your FCU, the aircraft will (should):
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indicate “T-P” for turning point on the ND and draw a new course line direct to the DIR fix.
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Automatically switch from HDG to NAV mode
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The “Erase” option in amber is just a way to go back without committing the change as you would with “Insert”.
There are other options and techniques available but here is a great reference site for this and other Airbus learning: MCDU | Direct To Page - Description | Section 14.3.0
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Additionally, if you DIR to a waypoint not on your flight plan, I think it wipes the flight plan you have.
Use the Fly By Wire A320NX. Way way better than the default one.
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Actually, while the fbw has more options and more real options closer to real life, I feel the default flies better. That’s just my opinion and another discussion.
The FBW one has implemented the specific flight modes of the real aircraft and has been tuned by several IRL pilots who are part of the project. It’s definitely closer to the real thing!
On your original topic, the default Asobo FPM (flight plan manager) is pretty bug ridden and DIR is one of the features that gives a “will it? won’t it?” when used - sometimes it will work as you describe it, other times it will take you to the original way point and then try to turn 180 degrees back to an earlier waypoint in the flight plan - particularly when you try to fly direct when in the middle of a STAR - ironically, the one time you are most like to need it!
The latest experimental FBW build has a new from-the-ground-up FPM and LNAV system which, in my experience to date, is significantly more predictable than the original Asobo FPM and it has been my primary beast for several weeks now. Well worth having a go to see if you find the behaviour more predictable than the stock aircraft.
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Yea yea yea so they say. TBH I just don’t like the way it flies. The Asobo feels more realistic to me and maneuvering on the ground is a lot easier. FBW is overated imo. But this is off topic so lets’s not go there. Yes I agree with you that it may be bug ridden because I’ve had time where it’s turned me around 180 degrees too and I can’t figure out why its doing that.
That’s why I tend to not use DIR function at all when using the default MSFS flight planner. 
Make a Gate-to-Gate flight plan, with assigned SIDs, STARs, and Approaches… And let the aircraft fly the whole route all the way to the gate that I chose at the destination.
As long as there’s no need to change the flight plan or anything, the bugs are generally avoidable.
That’s what I usually do but sometimes I want to get somewhere quicker, especially on the approach phase and it would be nice if it worked correctly. I think real life pilots use it quite a bit. Oh well.
I wish I have your enthusiasm… I always end up needing more distance than the actual flight plan because I need more time to descend. You know since the default ATC sometimes give late descend instructions, making me still high for the approach, so I need to disengage NAV, do some corkscrew maneuvre and rejoin the flight path when I’m low enough to continue on the approach.
If I had to skip waypoints to get somewhere quicker. I would’ve overshoot. Hahahah 
I don’t listen to ATC anymore. I turn it off its way too buggy. The way I plan my descent and it works quite well on the asobo is the MCDU will automatically go into descent mode. You can hear the engines spool down to descent speed and then I set the altitudes by following my constraints until I capture the approach. Works quite well.
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I think the problem is the FBW descends way too fast. I had that problem when I was flying it.
Well it depends on the descent mode. If you’re on managed/open descent, then it would just keep the airspeed. The V/S is variable as long as it can keep the same airspeed. If it’s too fast, you can just switch to the FPA/TRK mode, and do a 3 degree descent. And it’ll keep the speed variable as long as it’s descending at a 3 degree angle.
I’ve also used that method when I want a nice smooth descent all the way down to the runway. But I always end up not having enough distance to slow down the aircraft to deploy the flaps in time.
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