Narrative:

En route from mso to gtf, gtf station asked me to accept the release to msp with only 1000 pounds of contingency fuel, saying that it was all right with msp dispatch. The reason was to accommodate more passenger on the flight which was oversold and weight limited for takeoff due to high density altitude at gtf. I declined saying, 'negative, negative, negative, I will not accept the release with less than 2000 pounds contingency.' my intent was to be polite but firm. At the gate in gtf I reviewed the release and WX for the gtf-msp leg. We were released with 16400 pounds consisting of: taxi - 200, flight plan burn - 10200, contingency - 2000, reserve - 4000. Msp WX was scattered clouds and 10 mi visibility, so no alternate was filed nor was fuel boarded to allow for diversion to an alternate. After I signed the release, msp dispatch called and again tried to talk me into accepting the 1000 pound contingency I had previously declined. I continued to decline, explaining that the medium large transport would not fly the leg using only the flight plan fuel burn. Instead we would surely use about 1000 pounds of the contingency fuel just to get to the destination. In reality, instead of 20 mins (2000 pounds), we would have about 10 mins of contingency fuel. I submitted a flight crew trip report last week with this same observation. Inexplicably dispatch sent a new release adding some 'load permitting' fuel. That made no sense to me nor to the agent who was trying to get people to volunteer to get off in order to get the weight down to the maximum allowable. The flight went very smoothly, starting engines with indicated fuel of 16300 pounds. We taxied without delay and took off into a 10 KT wind. We climbed to the filed altitude and flew the filed route precisely, maintaining .76 mach (we varied no more than -.05+0). We descended on the filed arrival, and although the aircraft 2 behind us was issued 15 min hold, it was changed to a single 360 degree turn. We had no delays, and approach control gave us normal vectoring to a 20 mi long final which is normal and to be expected at a hub during the arrival of a bank. We landed on runway 29R, which is the one most convenient to our assigned gate, turned off on runway 22, and taxied to gate 66, shutting down 1 engine after a 1 min cooling period. Fuel indicated at shutdown was 4600 pounds, and since the burn while taxiing in was less than 100 pounds, we touched down with 4700 pounds. That is 1300 pounds (12.5 percent) more than the flight plan burn after a flight with no delays, no WX deviations, no altitude restrictions, and no speed deviations. I believe the 'perfect pilot' will always plan to land with reserve fuel on the aircraft and thus available for the truly unforeseen delay, eg, the proverbial aircraft ahead of you who blows a tire and closes the runway. Also keep in mind that maintenance says medium large transport fuel gauges may each indicate 200 pounds of unusable fuel, so perhaps your 45 mins reserve is 38 mins -- perhaps? I'm certainly glad I stuck to my judgement and resisted dispatch's repeated attempts to reduce the contingency fuel. Starting with 20 mins, in this case we landed with only 7 mins of contingency fuel after a nearly perfect flight. Msp was on the verge of holding in spite of fine WX, and had they given us even a short delay we would have had a problem and possibly had to request priority. Dispatch pushed far too hard for me to accept the flight with less than a safe fuel load.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DISPATCHER AND CAPT COULD NOT AGREE ON FLT PLANNED FUEL FOR DEP AT GTF.

Narrative: ENRTE FROM MSO TO GTF, GTF STATION ASKED ME TO ACCEPT THE RELEASE TO MSP WITH ONLY 1000 POUNDS OF CONTINGENCY FUEL, SAYING THAT IT WAS ALL RIGHT WITH MSP DISPATCH. THE REASON WAS TO ACCOMMODATE MORE PAX ON THE FLT WHICH WAS OVERSOLD AND WT LIMITED FOR TKOF DUE TO HIGH DENSITY ALT AT GTF. I DECLINED SAYING, 'NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE, I WILL NOT ACCEPT THE RELEASE WITH LESS THAN 2000 POUNDS CONTINGENCY.' MY INTENT WAS TO BE POLITE BUT FIRM. AT THE GATE IN GTF I REVIEWED THE RELEASE AND WX FOR THE GTF-MSP LEG. WE WERE RELEASED WITH 16400 POUNDS CONSISTING OF: TAXI - 200, FLT PLAN BURN - 10200, CONTINGENCY - 2000, RESERVE - 4000. MSP WX WAS SCATTERED CLOUDS AND 10 MI VISIBILITY, SO NO ALTERNATE WAS FILED NOR WAS FUEL BOARDED TO ALLOW FOR DIVERSION TO AN ALTERNATE. AFTER I SIGNED THE RELEASE, MSP DISPATCH CALLED AND AGAIN TRIED TO TALK ME INTO ACCEPTING THE 1000 POUND CONTINGENCY I HAD PREVIOUSLY DECLINED. I CONTINUED TO DECLINE, EXPLAINING THAT THE MLG WOULD NOT FLY THE LEG USING ONLY THE FLT PLAN FUEL BURN. INSTEAD WE WOULD SURELY USE ABOUT 1000 POUNDS OF THE CONTINGENCY FUEL JUST TO GET TO THE DEST. IN REALITY, INSTEAD OF 20 MINS (2000 POUNDS), WE WOULD HAVE ABOUT 10 MINS OF CONTINGENCY FUEL. I SUBMITTED A FLC TRIP RPT LAST WK WITH THIS SAME OBSERVATION. INEXPLICABLY DISPATCH SENT A NEW RELEASE ADDING SOME 'LOAD PERMITTING' FUEL. THAT MADE NO SENSE TO ME NOR TO THE AGENT WHO WAS TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO VOLUNTEER TO GET OFF IN ORDER TO GET THE WT DOWN TO THE MAX ALLOWABLE. THE FLT WENT VERY SMOOTHLY, STARTING ENGS WITH INDICATED FUEL OF 16300 POUNDS. WE TAXIED WITHOUT DELAY AND TOOK OFF INTO A 10 KT WIND. WE CLBED TO THE FILED ALT AND FLEW THE FILED RTE PRECISELY, MAINTAINING .76 MACH (WE VARIED NO MORE THAN -.05+0). WE DSNDED ON THE FILED ARR, AND ALTHOUGH THE ACFT 2 BEHIND US WAS ISSUED 15 MIN HOLD, IT WAS CHANGED TO A SINGLE 360 DEG TURN. WE HAD NO DELAYS, AND APCH CTL GAVE US NORMAL VECTORING TO A 20 MI LONG FINAL WHICH IS NORMAL AND TO BE EXPECTED AT A HUB DURING THE ARR OF A BANK. WE LANDED ON RWY 29R, WHICH IS THE ONE MOST CONVENIENT TO OUR ASSIGNED GATE, TURNED OFF ON RWY 22, AND TAXIED TO GATE 66, SHUTTING DOWN 1 ENG AFTER A 1 MIN COOLING PERIOD. FUEL INDICATED AT SHUTDOWN WAS 4600 POUNDS, AND SINCE THE BURN WHILE TAXIING IN WAS LESS THAN 100 POUNDS, WE TOUCHED DOWN WITH 4700 POUNDS. THAT IS 1300 POUNDS (12.5 PERCENT) MORE THAN THE FLT PLAN BURN AFTER A FLT WITH NO DELAYS, NO WX DEVS, NO ALT RESTRICTIONS, AND NO SPD DEVS. I BELIEVE THE 'PERFECT PLT' WILL ALWAYS PLAN TO LAND WITH RESERVE FUEL ON THE ACFT AND THUS AVAILABLE FOR THE TRULY UNFORESEEN DELAY, EG, THE PROVERBIAL ACFT AHEAD OF YOU WHO BLOWS A TIRE AND CLOSES THE RWY. ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT MAINT SAYS MLG FUEL GAUGES MAY EACH INDICATE 200 POUNDS OF UNUSABLE FUEL, SO PERHAPS YOUR 45 MINS RESERVE IS 38 MINS -- PERHAPS? I'M CERTAINLY GLAD I STUCK TO MY JUDGEMENT AND RESISTED DISPATCH'S REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO REDUCE THE CONTINGENCY FUEL. STARTING WITH 20 MINS, IN THIS CASE WE LANDED WITH ONLY 7 MINS OF CONTINGENCY FUEL AFTER A NEARLY PERFECT FLT. MSP WAS ON THE VERGE OF HOLDING IN SPITE OF FINE WX, AND HAD THEY GIVEN US EVEN A SHORT DELAY WE WOULD HAVE HAD A PROBLEM AND POSSIBLY HAD TO REQUEST PRIORITY. DISPATCH PUSHED FAR TOO HARD FOR ME TO ACCEPT THE FLT WITH LESS THAN A SAFE FUEL LOAD.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.