Narrative:

About 15 mins after we leveled at FL350, center gave us FL310 for traffic. Upon reaching lit, center gave us a rerte for WX. After calculating the fuel burn at the lower altitude and the longer routing, I told the captain that I estimated our arrival at destination with only 2000 pounds of fuel remaining. He didn't really seem concerned at that time. About 200 NM from iah, I realized that we would have to deal with more possible delays due to thunderstorms on the arrival. Finally the captain's complacent attitude changed (he's only 3 weeks away from retirement). He asked me if I thought we should divert to aus for fuel. Since it was equal distance to aus and to iah, I said no. About 10 mins later, it was apparent that if we accepted all of the vectoring and the slower speeds that were being issued to the aircraft ahead of us, that we would be landing at iah with very little fuel remaining. At that point the captain requested priority handling due to minimal fuel. Approach control then cleared us direct to iah, and even vectored some other traffic off the approach in front of us to make room for us. We landed with about 2200 pounds of fuel remaining which doesn't seem to bother some medium large transport pilots, but it makes me very uncomfortable. Houston approach was very busy because runway 14L was closed and the traffic was backed up due to all of the thunderstorms in the area. However, they did a very good job. From now on, I'm not going to accept the fact that, just because we've been rerted around the back side of the WX, and all the sigmets are no longer applicable to our routing, that we won't have to deal with more WX up ahead. If we could have just flown the rerouted arrival and proceeded to the airport, then even the extra fuel we burned by being assigned a lower cruise altitude and longer routing would not have been a problem. But the min we began the STAR and realized how backed up the traffic was we knew there would be a problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR MLG ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED SPECIAL HANDLING BECAUSE OF LOW FUEL STATE.

Narrative: ABOUT 15 MINS AFTER WE LEVELED AT FL350, CTR GAVE US FL310 FOR TFC. UPON REACHING LIT, CTR GAVE US A RERTE FOR WX. AFTER CALCULATING THE FUEL BURN AT THE LOWER ALT AND THE LONGER ROUTING, I TOLD THE CAPT THAT I ESTIMATED OUR ARR AT DEST WITH ONLY 2000 LBS OF FUEL REMAINING. HE DIDN'T REALLY SEEM CONCERNED AT THAT TIME. ABOUT 200 NM FROM IAH, I REALIZED THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH MORE POSSIBLE DELAYS DUE TO TSTMS ON THE ARR. FINALLY THE CAPT'S COMPLACENT ATTITUDE CHANGED (HE'S ONLY 3 WKS AWAY FROM RETIREMENT). HE ASKED ME IF I THOUGHT WE SHOULD DIVERT TO AUS FOR FUEL. SINCE IT WAS EQUAL DISTANCE TO AUS AND TO IAH, I SAID NO. ABOUT 10 MINS LATER, IT WAS APPARENT THAT IF WE ACCEPTED ALL OF THE VECTORING AND THE SLOWER SPDS THAT WERE BEING ISSUED TO THE ACFT AHEAD OF US, THAT WE WOULD BE LNDG AT IAH WITH VERY LITTLE FUEL REMAINING. AT THAT POINT THE CAPT REQUESTED PRIORITY HANDLING DUE TO MINIMAL FUEL. APCH CTL THEN CLRED US DIRECT TO IAH, AND EVEN VECTORED SOME OTHER TFC OFF THE APCH IN FRONT OF US TO MAKE ROOM FOR US. WE LANDED WITH ABOUT 2200 LBS OF FUEL REMAINING WHICH DOESN'T SEEM TO BOTHER SOME MLG PLTS, BUT IT MAKES ME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. HOUSTON APCH WAS VERY BUSY BECAUSE RWY 14L WAS CLOSED AND THE TFC WAS BACKED UP DUE TO ALL OF THE TSTMS IN THE AREA. HOWEVER, THEY DID A VERY GOOD JOB. FROM NOW ON, I'M NOT GOING TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT, JUST BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN RERTED AROUND THE BACK SIDE OF THE WX, AND ALL THE SIGMETS ARE NO LONGER APPLICABLE TO OUR ROUTING, THAT WE WON'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH MORE WX UP AHEAD. IF WE COULD HAVE JUST FLOWN THE REROUTED ARR AND PROCEEDED TO THE ARPT, THEN EVEN THE EXTRA FUEL WE BURNED BY BEING ASSIGNED A LOWER CRUISE ALT AND LONGER ROUTING WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A PROB. BUT THE MIN WE BEGAN THE STAR AND REALIZED HOW BACKED UP THE TFC WAS WE KNEW THERE WOULD BE A PROB.

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.