Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 88; Flight Crew Type 20000
Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airspace Structure; Weather
ATC headed us into a thunderhead and would not give me higher to get over; or a change in heading to avoid it. I offered to do a 360 or reverse course; etc. ATC told me to fly through it. I did not. I went from a 360 heading to 050 for a brief period for safety and told him what I was doing. ATC offered me higher in 10 miles. That would not have worked at all. Finally he gave me from FL340 to FL350. I needed FL410. He was task saturated and (other carrier) was also on frequency with the same problem and same response. I know there was a lot of conflicting traffic; but he was limited in his ability to think outside of a straight line. We managed without a TCAS RA or TA; and no conflict resulted.
We were vectored east and were given direct to FLO. After turning direct; we would have gone through the overhang of storm. Captain asked for a turn but Controller was busy. We made a turn to avoid overhang and notified Controller.
B737 flight crew reported deviating to avoid a thunderstorm without clearance when ATC could not allow a turn or climb.