Date: 201305
Local time of day: 0001-0600
Location: ZZZ.ARTCC, US
Aircraft: Regional Jet 200 ER/LR (CRJ200)
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Cruise
Airspace: Class A ZZZ
ATC / advisory: Center ZZZ
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Enroute
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Human factors: Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Second reporter function: Enroute
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
Result: General None Reported / Taken
Contributing factors: Human Factors; Procedure
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: The aircraft was experiencing a bad ride at FL320 and requested a climb to FL340. I climbed the aircraft to FL340. A minute or so later; I noticed a limited data block the looked like traffic at FL340; still around 8 minutes or so out. The traffic was inside the next sectors' airspace; Sector XX (different area). Right at the same time that I noticed the traffic; the Sector XX Controller called and told me to take the aircraft back down to FL320. I tried to tell the Controller that he was getting a bad ride and need to stay higher. The XX Controller talked over me and told me FL320. I then told the aircraft that the next sector wanted them to descend back down to FL320; or I could give him a vector to the right. They said they wanted the vector; to avoid going back to the bad rides. I gave the vector; put it in the 4th line and kept the aircraft at FL340. I flashed the aircraft early so the XX Controller could see what I had done. A minute or so later I called the XX Controller to coordinate the aircraft's request to be vector instead of descending back to the bad ride. The Controller would not talk to me about it; even with subsequent coordination calls. Ultimately the aircraft penetrated the XX airspace without a hand off. Recommendation; the XX Controller needs to take handoffs; especially when I was the one trying to accommodate the pilot and provide the best service I could for him. The XX Controller didn't take the hand-off out of spite; which is a dangerous way of working with lives at stake.


Second narrative: I was in the process of combining all of the area sectors into the mid shift configuration. There was a lot of traffic but it was manageable. There was also weather and bad rides; and aircraft had been deviating in the area all evening. A CRJ-700 was a departure; northwest bound through Sector XY; destination ZZZZ. The Sector XY RADAR Controller issued a climb to FL340 to the CRJ-700. That initiated a red alert on my EDST for traffic; and I immediately called Sector XY and requested that the CRJ-700 be assigned FL320. The aircraft Mode C was indicating 32;200 feet at the time. The Controller said no; he'd take the aircraft to FL330. I said that wasn't going to work; I had other traffic at FL330. The Controller laughed and said OK. I observed that the CRJ-700 continued the climb all the way to FL340. The OMIC was in the vicinity of the area desk; so I asked him to come over and look at the situation. He found out what was going on and went to discuss the situation with the adjacent Controller. The Controller continued to vector the CRJ-700 into my airspace at FL340 without my accepting the handoff. He called me on the landline and appeared to be divisive and contentious. I didn't have the time or the inclination to argue on the landline so I just told him to talk to the OMIC. The OMIC returned to my area after speaking to the other Controller. At that point I accepted the hand off on the CRJ-700. It needs to be emphasized throughout the workplace that the receiving Controller has the right to ask for aircraft the way they need them. If you can't comply; then you need to coordinate something else that is acceptable; or avoid the airspace. This was; at one time; a fundamental and inviolable rule. It is now quite common for transferring controllers to analyze or pass judgment on the receiving controller's plans or requests; compliance is often done grudgingly and accompanied with derogatory comments; particularly on coordination that takes place between areas.


Synopsis: Two different points of view involving a refused handoff event; both Center controllers believing their actions were appropriate.