Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 50; Flight Crew Total 7300; Flight Crew Type 250
Workload; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
Deviation - Altitude Excursion From Assigned Altitude; Deviation - Altitude Undershoot; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Human Factors; Procedure
The center controller told us to descend via the KIDDZ2 arrival and fly the runway 4 transition. ATC vectored us off the arrival three times with subsequent hard altitudes and speeds to maintain. We were on an assigned heading; at 9;000 ft and 210 KIAS when the controller told us to proceed direct GEEEO and resume the arrival there. We interpreted that instruction as crossing GEEEO at the mandatory-charted altitude of 6;000 ft. We began our descent and around 8;500 ft ATC asked if he had given us an altitude and we said no; we repeated his instruction and determined at that instance we made an error. We weren't told to descend VIA. The controller cleared us to 7;000 ft and handed us off to the next sector. The rest of the flight was uneventful.
[Report narrative contained no additional information.]
Corporate flight crew cleared to descend via the IAH KIDDZ2 received several vectors off route then cleared 'Direct GEEEO; resume the arrival.' Erroneously; they began a descent from 9;000 ft thinking 'Resume' meant cleared VIA.