AN ATX FLC LOSES PRESSURIZATION IN THEIR LTT WHILE IN CRUISE AND STARTS AN UNAUTH DSCNT WITHOUT; APPARENTLY; DECLARING AN EMER. THE FLC REGAINS CTL OF THE PRESSURIZATION AND RETURNS TO THEIR ORIGINALLY ASSIGNED ALT; AGAIN WITHOUT ARTCC AUTH.

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WHILE IN LEVEL CRUISE FLT AT 31000 FT MSL; ACFT LOST CABIN PRESSURE. COPLT AND I DONNED OXYGEN MASKS AND I INITIATED EMER DSCNT. AFTER DSNDING APPROX 500 FT THE COPLT HAD CABIN PRESSURE UNDER CTL USING MANUAL MODE; SO I LEVELED THE ACFT AT 30500 FT MSL. WE HAD NO PAX ON BOARD SO WE CLBED BACK UP TO 31000 FT MSL. WE REQUESTED A DSCNT TO 25000 FT MSL AND ZHU EVENTUALLY CLRED US TO DSND. THE PRESSURIZATION SYS CONTINUED TO HOLD CABIN PRESSURE PROPERLY AND THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. THERE WERE NO PROX PROBS WITH OTHER ACFT THAT WE WERE MADE AWARE OF; BUT ZHU DID NOTICE OUR ALT LOSS AND QUESTIONED IT. I FEEL THAT AS A CREW WE DID EVERYTHING PROPERLY; BUT AS A CAPT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AGGRESSIVE IN REQUESTING A LOWER ALT. SINCE WE (CREW) BOTH HAD OUR OXYGEN MASKS ON AND THERE WERE NO PAX ON BOARD I WAS NOT VERY FORCEFUL; AND IT TOOK THE CTLR TOO LONG (IN MY OPINION) TO CLR US TO A LOWER ALT; CONSIDERING WE WERE EXPERIENCING CABIN PRESSURIZATION PROBS. ALSO; SINCE WE HAD REGAINED CTL OF THE CABIN PRESSURE I WAS NOT AS FORCEFUL IN REQUESTING A LOWER ALT.