I for one am guilty of asking for higher. I am cognizent of frequency congestion, TCAS traffic and controller workload when I ask. I am also cognizent of the thin profit margin we maintain at the best of times along with the excessive fuel burn down low. As often as not when I ask for higher I am granted it, I am a creature of habit, when it takes me having to ask for a measurable percentage of climbs, a habit pattern is set. Even if denied, controllers here are good about letting us know when to expect higher. This allows us to plan, and most importantly, be kept in the loop. Nothing is worse than a controller who operates in a vacuum. While the controller has to maintain the larger picture, that sometimes requires me to
be the one that keeps my needs at the fore front.