<<Our management were reluctant to prescribe to captains an altitude limit and our flightplans were always giving cruise altitudes of FL360 and FL370 regardless of performance capability and the existance of an optimum FL was never discussed during briefings, the general perception being higher is better.
With this level of ignorance within the management and line pilot communities we were very fortunate not to have a similar incident.>>
I personally find this not at all surprising, Hec7or, as many new guys to jet transport flying, never having been informed about all this, would tend to agree with the idea that 'the computer knows all' and no logical thought process is generally required.
Years ago, before computers (and the magic boxes they come in) the lessons learned the hard way about potential problems that do indeed occur at higher altitudes with swept wing jet transports resultes in a few accidents that were not pretty.
Now, many of these older guys in management/line flying have long ago retired, and the replacements think that they simply 'know better'.
This very unfortunate accident sadly proves that simply do NOT.