reply to post by spiritual being 13
spiritual, ya know, I'm going to go buy some aeronautical charts for you, because you, and others, just don't seem to get it.
I'll try again....take a look at a map, use whatever country you currently live in, then take a real close look at al of the major cities that
airliners fly between.
Did you notice that sometimes airplanes will fly East-West, or North-South?
Let me use the East Coast of the USA as an example: One very heavily travelled section of the country is the NorthEast to Florida (and other
destinations down south). Of course, there are the trans-con flights, East West....and of course, again, the ones that are International...there are
a heck of a lot of flights nowadays, just look it up!!
Back to my last paragraph....guess what? Some flights go North-South, some go East-West....surprise!! Looks like a grid!!!
We now have, in the US Airspace system, RVSM standards, for airplanes that have sufficient certification, as pertains to their pitot-static
systems....
What this means is, and (sigh) I've already written this several times, but here it goes again....
Because of safety concerns, and some fears that above about 29000 feet, there needed to be a minimum separation of 2000 vertically between airplanes,
that was the requirement for many years. Better technology has allowed the RVSM implementation, so the normal 1000 foot vertical separation standard
can be used above FL290, when the airplane is so certified.
Assigned cruise altitudes are based on the 'magnetic course'. a course of 001 to 179 degrees, clockwise, is considered 'odd' (East is odd). A
course of 181 to 359 degrees, closckwise, is thusly 'even'.
A due North or due South is rare, and is decided based on the other legs in the Flight Plan
I have actually flown flight plans, from the NYC area to Florida, where there is a point, when the mag course changes, then ATC requests a new
altitude, in order to fit in to the 'system'.
There are always exceptions of course, but it is how the system is designed, and we work within the system.
Now, I've had to write all of this, as education for those who may not have seen it before.
The cancellations at AA? It was a political move by the FAA, because they got their hand caught in the cookie jar, as it pertains to the office in
Dallas that was too cozy with SouthWest Airlines. See? AA is headquartered in Dallas....getting it yet? Poor AA got caught up in a political CYA
maneuver, after the SouthWest publicity scandal....
Here's interesting info: Continental Airlines is headquartered in Houston, Texas...not Dallas, please take note. Guess what? NO problems at
Continental. Know why? They are well-managed, and well-run.
WW