For cruising altitudes, which parity is used when flying Southwest?

For cruising altitudes, which parity is used when flying Southwest?

• A. Even
• B. Odd
• C. Both
• D. Neither

Answer: (A)

Cruising altitude parity is about keeping eastbound and westbound traffic apart on the same routes. The general rule is eastbound flights use odd flight levels, while westbound flights use even flight levels. In the context of Southwest, the convention shown is to use even cruising alts, so you’d cruise at even levels like FL320 or FL340 rather than odd ones. This helps maintain orderly separation with opposing traffic and aligns with standard airways structure. If you were flying east, you’d switch to an odd flight level to follow the same parity system.

Cruising altitude parity is about keeping eastbound and westbound traffic apart on the same routes. The general rule is eastbound flights use odd flight levels, while westbound flights use even flight levels. In the context of Southwest, the convention shown is to use even cruising alts, so you’d cruise at even levels like FL320 or FL340 rather than odd ones. This helps maintain orderly separation with opposing traffic and aligns with standard airways structure. If you were flying east, you’d switch to an odd flight level to follow the same parity system.