ALTDEV ALT EXCURSION.

Narrative

AFTER TKOF TO THE S FROM SEA FLYING THE ELMAAA2 SID; I WAS THE CAPT AND PNF. CLRED TO 9000 FT; FO FLYING. WHILE PERFORMING THE AFTER TKOF CHKLIST; DEP CALLED; THE FO ANSWERED AND RESET THE ALT ALERT TO 11000 FT. AFTER COMPLETING THE CHKLIST I ASKED FO ABOUT CALL AND ALT CHANGE. NEARING 9000 FT THE TCASII GAVE A 'TFC' ALERT AND I CHKED THE SCREEN. WE WERE NOW GOING THROUGH 9000 FT AND TFC WAS AT 12 O'CLOCK AND 1900 FT ABOVE. I ORDERED A LEVEL OFF AND RETURN TO 9000 FT UNTIL CLR. ALT PEAKED AT 9400 FT AND DEP CALLED TO CONFIRM OUR LEVEL OFF AT 9000 FT WITH TFC AT 12 O'CLOCK AND 11000 FT. THIS IS A CLASSIC CASE OF MISCOM WITH NO BACK UPS FOR 2 REASONS. FOR A 2 PLT CREW; OUR COMPANY POLICY IS FOR THE PNF TO READ THE CHKLIST ALOUD AND ANNOUNCED COMPLETE. THIS MUST BE ABOVE 3000 FT (WHERE OUR TKOF PROFILE ENDS) AND BELOW 10000 FT (WHERE WE SPD UP). WHILE TALKING ALOUD I DIDN'T HEAR; DEP. WITHOUT THE THIRD CREW MEMBER ANY TIME THE PNF HAS DUTIES TO PERFORM; THE PNF IS SOLO! CTLRS WHEN BUSY MAY HEAR A READBACK; BUT DON'T LISTEN TO IT BECAUSE THEY ARE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT THE NEXT PROBLEM. AND THEY ARE BUSY AT EVERY MAJOR ARPT; ALL THE TIME BECAUSE OF THE HUB AND SPOKE SCHEDULES AIRLINES HAVE PUT IN PLACE SINCE DEREG!