Narrative:

Dispatch had us arriving in ZZZ with an arrival fuel of 5.8 after a 4 hour flight. When the load sheet was given to us in the cockpit at departure time we discovered that the actual takeoff weight for this flight was well over 5000 pounds over the planned takeoff weight. I made contact with dispatch to inform him of this and get a new fuel burn. My instinct told me to add more fuel for the flight but after hearing from dispatch that the fuel burn would only go up by 300 pounds; I decided to leave with our present fuel and not take a delay. Our planned cruise altitude was FL400. I was able to talk ATC into allowing us to cruise at FL410 and this made me feel better about our rate of fuel burn enroute. By half way through the flight it was apparent that the increased weight we were at was causing us to burn fuel at a higher rate than the dispatch re-compute said it would. We started to get the FMC prompt that we were using reserve fuel and would arrive in ZZZ with less than 5000 pounds of fuel. Our plan was to stay at altitude for as long as we could before descending for landing. As usual; ATC began descending us very early for our arrival. Our first descent was to FL380. When we leveled there we encountered light to moderate turbulence. We reported this to ATC and he cleared us to FL340 and assured us that it would be smooth at that altitude. The ride at FL340 was no different than at FL380 and this bothered me since we needed to save as much fuel as we could. At this time we were handed off to the next controller and we informed her that we were in the light to moderate turbulence. She said; 'descend and maintain FL320 for a smooth ride.' I did not want to descend any lower in the search for a better ride due to our fuel situation so I responded with; 'negative; we do not want to descend for a better ride.' she took great offense to this response. I was reluctant to bring our fuel situation to her attention because we were not in a critical fuel shortage situation yet. We were just trying to prevent getting to a low fuel situation. As it turned out she really needed us to descend to FL320 for traffic flow reasons and by us declining her clearance; it caused problems for her. Once it was apparent to us that she needed us at FL320 we complied with her clearance. We thought the situation was over until several frequencies later we were given the phone number to call. After landing and arriving at the gate with a remaining fuel load of 4500 pounds; we contacted our ATC specialist and explained our side of the story and he called center for us. Personally; I think the center controller overreacted to the situation and escalated the encounter before getting all the facts. When all your years of experience tell you to add fuel; add it!

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-700 CAPT IS RELUCTANT TO DSND TO ALT REQUESTED BY ARTCC BECAUSE THE LOWER ALT WOULD AGGRAVATE A DETERIORATING FUEL CONDITION. CTLR TAKES OFFENSE AND HAS FLT CREW CALL AFTER LNDG.

Narrative: DISPATCH HAD US ARRIVING IN ZZZ WITH AN ARRIVAL FUEL OF 5.8 AFTER A 4 HOUR FLIGHT. WHEN THE LOAD SHEET WAS GIVEN TO US IN THE COCKPIT AT DEPARTURE TIME WE DISCOVERED THAT THE ACTUAL TAKEOFF WEIGHT FOR THIS FLIGHT WAS WELL OVER 5000 POUNDS OVER THE PLANNED TAKEOFF WEIGHT. I MADE CONTACT WITH DISPATCH TO INFORM HIM OF THIS AND GET A NEW FUEL BURN. MY INSTINCT TOLD ME TO ADD MORE FUEL FOR THE FLIGHT BUT AFTER HEARING FROM DISPATCH THAT THE FUEL BURN WOULD ONLY GO UP BY 300 POUNDS; I DECIDED TO LEAVE WITH OUR PRESENT FUEL AND NOT TAKE A DELAY. OUR PLANNED CRUISE ALTITUDE WAS FL400. I WAS ABLE TO TALK ATC INTO ALLOWING US TO CRUISE AT FL410 AND THIS MADE ME FEEL BETTER ABOUT OUR RATE OF FUEL BURN ENROUTE. BY HALF WAY THROUGH THE FLIGHT IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE INCREASED WEIGHT WE WERE AT WAS CAUSING US TO BURN FUEL AT A HIGHER RATE THAN THE DISPATCH RE-COMPUTE SAID IT WOULD. WE STARTED TO GET THE FMC PROMPT THAT WE WERE USING RESERVE FUEL AND WOULD ARRIVE IN ZZZ WITH LESS THAN 5000 POUNDS OF FUEL. OUR PLAN WAS TO STAY AT ALTITUDE FOR AS LONG AS WE COULD BEFORE DESCENDING FOR LANDING. AS USUAL; ATC BEGAN DESCENDING US VERY EARLY FOR OUR ARRIVAL. OUR FIRST DESCENT WAS TO FL380. WHEN WE LEVELED THERE WE ENCOUNTERED LIGHT TO MODERATE TURBULENCE. WE REPORTED THIS TO ATC AND HE CLEARED US TO FL340 AND ASSURED US THAT IT WOULD BE SMOOTH AT THAT ALTITUDE. THE RIDE AT FL340 WAS NO DIFFERENT THAN AT FL380 AND THIS BOTHERED ME SINCE WE NEEDED TO SAVE AS MUCH FUEL AS WE COULD. AT THIS TIME WE WERE HANDED OFF TO THE NEXT CONTROLLER AND WE INFORMED HER THAT WE WERE IN THE LIGHT TO MODERATE TURBULENCE. SHE SAID; 'DESCEND AND MAINTAIN FL320 FOR A SMOOTH RIDE.' I DID NOT WANT TO DESCEND ANY LOWER IN THE SEARCH FOR A BETTER RIDE DUE TO OUR FUEL SITUATION SO I RESPONDED WITH; 'NEGATIVE; WE DO NOT WANT TO DESCEND FOR A BETTER RIDE.' SHE TOOK GREAT OFFENSE TO THIS RESPONSE. I WAS RELUCTANT TO BRING OUR FUEL SITUATION TO HER ATTENTION BECAUSE WE WERE NOT IN A CRITICAL FUEL SHORTAGE SITUATION YET. WE WERE JUST TRYING TO PREVENT GETTING TO A LOW FUEL SITUATION. AS IT TURNED OUT SHE REALLY NEEDED US TO DESCEND TO FL320 FOR TRAFFIC FLOW REASONS AND BY US DECLINING HER CLEARANCE; IT CAUSED PROBLEMS FOR HER. ONCE IT WAS APPARENT TO US THAT SHE NEEDED US AT FL320 WE COMPLIED WITH HER CLEARANCE. WE THOUGHT THE SITUATION WAS OVER UNTIL SEVERAL FREQUENCIES LATER WE WERE GIVEN THE PHONE NUMBER TO CALL. AFTER LANDING AND ARRIVING AT THE GATE WITH A REMAINING FUEL LOAD OF 4500 POUNDS; WE CONTACTED OUR ATC SPECIALIST AND EXPLAINED OUR SIDE OF THE STORY AND HE CALLED CENTER FOR US. PERSONALLY; I THINK THE CENTER CONTROLLER OVERREACTED TO THE SITUATION AND ESCALATED THE ENCOUNTER BEFORE GETTING ALL THE FACTS. WHEN ALL YOUR YEARS OF EXPERIENCE TELL YOU TO ADD FUEL; ADD IT!

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.