MLG HAS TCASII RA WITH MLG ON CLB.

Narrative

WE WERE WITH APCH CTL ON A VECTOR OF 030 DEGS; 11000 FT; AIRSPD 210 KTS ASSIGNED. RECEIVED A TA. CHKING THE RADAR SCREEN WE NOTICED TFC BELOW US. THIS TFC WAS NO FACTOR AS IT REMAINED BELOW US WITH NO DECREASE IN_THE REQUIRED 1000 FT SEPARATION. A MOMENT LATER ANOTHER TA AT OUR 1 O'CLOCK POS. WE QUICKLY OBTAINED A VISUAL SIGHTING OF THE ACFT IN QUESTION; AN MD-88 ON CLBOUT FROM ATL. WE EXPECTED THE ACFT TO LEVEL AT 10000 FT AS IS STANDARD FOR DEP IN ATL. WE THEN HEARD AN RA OF THE SAME TFC INSTRUCTING US TO DSND; FOLLOWED BY AN INCREASE DSCNT RA. KEEPING IN MIND THE LAST TA OF TFC SOMEWHERE BELOW US; AND HAVING THE NEW TFC VISUAL WE DECIDED THAT A DSCNT WAS NOT THE BEST MANEUVER. WHEN IT BECAME CLR TO US THAT THE CONFLICTING ACFT WAS NOT LEVELING AT 10000 FT AND WAS GOING TO CLB UP TO OR PAST OUR ALT; I DISENGAGED THE AUTOPLT; INITIATED A 20-30 DEG L BANK; KEEPING THE TFC IN SIGHT. AFTER 20-30 DEGS OF TURN WE WERE WELL CLR OF THE CONFLICT. AFTER THE CONFLICTING ACFT PASSED OFF OUR R WING; I RETURNED TO OUR ASSIGNED HDG; REENGAGED THE AUTOPLT; THEN THE CAPT INFORMED ATC OF OUR TEMPORARY HDG CHANGE TO AVOID AN ACFT PASSING OUR ALT. SINCE WE HAD A VISUAL ON THE TFC I BELIEVE A DSCNT WAS NOT A GOOD MANEUVER. FIRST; WE MAY HAVE HURT SOME PAX OR OUR FLT ATTENDANTS BY PUSHING OVER THE ACFT. SECOND; WE MAY HAVE CAUSED A 'DOMINO' EFFECT BY DSNDING INTO THE AREA OF MULTIPLE OTHER ACFT AROUND THE FIELD. A NICE SMOOTH 20-30 DEG HDG CHANGE WORKED VERY WELL. WE WERE VERY AWARE IF WE WERE IFR OR HAD NO VISUAL WE WOULD HAVE AGGRESSIVELY FOLLOWED THE RA COMMANDS. IN THIS CASE THE HDG CHANGE WAS THE BEST MANEUVER.