Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 453; Flight Crew Type 10700
Workload; Time Pressure; Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown; Distraction
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Weather; Human Factors
Houston Center was busy handling traffic holding for SAT and AUS; and was consequently slow to take a handoff from Departure. They then held us low and on a vector towards thunderstorms. After we asked; unsuccessfully; several times for a climb and/or a turn to avoid the weather; I came on the radio and advised Center that we needed to deviate now and asked if they preferred us to go left or right. They directed us to deviate left. I did not have to invoke my emergency authority as a Captain to deviate from our clearance; but this is as close as I've come. It seemed to me that they were snowed under by organizing all the holds and allowed that task to interfere with keeping traffic clear of thunderstorms. Having to work multiple frequencies and handling extra traffic puts a burden on understaffed Controllers in the best of conditions; I feel that in this case the extra task loading caused by deteriorating weather interfered with their ability to prioritize those tasks.
Air carrier pilot reported the need to deviate for weather while ATC was too busy to initially respond.