MH17 Altitude 10km: is that normal?

cruising altitude for economy.

They were actually at FL330 (33,000 ft) I believe. Ukraine uses feet for altitudes not metric. Whoever said 10km was attempting to translate into a measurement their audience might understand. And yes it would be a typical cruising altitude depending on weight, wind and traffic.

FL330 is normal perhaps he could have made FL350. As fuel is burnt off and the aircraft gets lighter high altitudes are possible. What they call "step climbs' take place as the aircraft gets lighter down the road. Step climbs are planned and will depend on air traffic control and captains discretion to weight and altitude and to climb or not.