AN MDT CREW RESPONDED TO ANOTHER ACFT'S CLRNC DEVIATING FROM ASSIGNED ALT.

Narrative

ON NOV/XA/01 ON FLT ABCD; MYSELF AND MY CAPT WERE THE PNF AND PF RESPECTIVELY ON A FLT FROM MSP TO APW. THE FLT PROGRESSED NORMALLY UNTIL WE WERE AT CRUISE FLT AT FL350 APPROX 105 NM SW OF THE OUTAGAMIE COUNTY REGIONAL ARPT. AT ABOUT XA30; WE BECAME CONCERNED BECAUSE WE WERE KEPT TOO HIGH TOO CLOSE IN; SO WE QUERIED THE CTLR FOR LOWER ANTICIPATING LOWER OR A SLOW DSCNT CLRNC. THE CTLR MADE US AWARE OF XING TFC; WHICH WE HAD A VISUAL ON. AT ABOUT XA37; WE WERE STILL AT FL350 AND 70 MI OUT FROM THE ARPT. WE ALSO WERE AWARE OF SIMILAR SOUNDING COMPANY ACFT IN THE AREA GOING TO THE SAME ARPT; WHICH HAD AN ACR CALL SIGN. THE CTLR'S WORKLOAD SEEMED TO BE INCREASING. WE HEARD A CLRNC FROM THE MSP HIGH ALT CTLR SAYING 'ACR ABCD TURN R TO HDG 090 DEGS AND DSND TO FL240.' I THEN READ BACK 'HDG 090 DEGS DOWN TO FL240 FROM FL350; ACR ABCD.' AT APPROX FL330 WE HEARD FROM THE CTLR SAYING 'ACR ABCD SAY ALT.' THEN I RESPONDED 'SOMEWHERE AROUND FL330.' THEN THE CTLR SAID THE DSCNT FOR ACR BCDE. AT THAT POINT WE SLOWED OUR DSCNT. I TOLD THE CTLR WE MUST HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD HIS CLRNC THAT WE READ BACK. HE THEN SAID WE WERE CLRED TO HDG 090 DEGS ONLY. WE WERE THEN CLRED TO CONTINUE DOWN TO FL240 WITH VECTOR CHANGES THAT FOLLOWED. THEN WE WERE GIVEN TO THE LOWER ALT CTLR DOWN TO THE APCH CTL; THEN THE ATW TWR FOR LNDG CLRNC.