Originally Posted by
aviators99
In the northern hemisphere, going west to east, higher will be faster up until around the tropopause. So, yes, if the conditions are right you can make up time by flying higher due to a tailwind. Loren's comments are not valid, since aircraft at the same airspeed will go faster across the ground with more of a tailwind. Mach implications only apply to airspeed, not groundspeed.
This isn't a matter of flying higher, it's a matter of taking advantage of tailwinds--something planes do when they can anyway.