Narrative:

Knowing the WX was poor at best the entire route; I wanted to verify that we had enough fuel to make the trip down to iah. Looking at the release I noticed we only had 600 pounds in the tanker fuel. I immediately got on the phone with my dispatcher to find out why such a discrepancy. We should normally tanker 1000 pounds. No holding fuel; and no alternate fuel was listed in the release. There was a line of WX stretching from canada all the way to texas. Not a day we wanted to be light on the fuel in the event of deviations due to WX and holding into texas. While waiting on hold; a company Y supervisor tells me that he called dispatch and had them lower my tanker fuel on the trip. I looked at him and asked; 'what did you say?' he repeated that he called dispatch and had them lower the fuel a 'few hundred pounds' to accommodate all the people and bags. I explained to him that that was unacceptable and I was on the phone with dispatch to fix what he had done. He became upset and mumbled a few things and stormed off to his computer and began typing and making phone calls. I called dispatch to find out why some gate agent was allowed to lower our fuel without my consent. He explained he tried to call me (which he did; but I was in the bathroom and didn't answer). He did lower it to appease the supervisor. This is no reflection on dispatch but of an out of control supervisor who thinks he is able to call our company and change the numbers without the captain's consent. This is a serious infraction on the safety of our flight crew and should be addressed immediately so not to happen in the future. One of our newer capts could have been easily persuaded into allowing this situation to go down. That could have seriously jeopardized the safety of our company and the passenger on board that aircraft. The fuel was returned to the original stated fuel load and departed without further incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CL600 CAPTAIN IS CONCERNED THAT A GND SUPERVISOR WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE THE FLT DISPATCHER TO REDUCE THE FLT PLAN FUEL WITHOUT CONSULTATION WITH OR AGREEMENT BY THE FLT CREW.

Narrative: KNOWING THE WX WAS POOR AT BEST THE ENTIRE RTE; I WANTED TO VERIFY THAT WE HAD ENOUGH FUEL TO MAKE THE TRIP DOWN TO IAH. LOOKING AT THE RELEASE I NOTICED WE ONLY HAD 600 LBS IN THE TANKER FUEL. I IMMEDIATELY GOT ON THE PHONE WITH MY DISPATCHER TO FIND OUT WHY SUCH A DISCREPANCY. WE SHOULD NORMALLY TANKER 1000 LBS. NO HOLDING FUEL; AND NO ALTERNATE FUEL WAS LISTED IN THE RELEASE. THERE WAS A LINE OF WX STRETCHING FROM CANADA ALL THE WAY TO TEXAS. NOT A DAY WE WANTED TO BE LIGHT ON THE FUEL IN THE EVENT OF DEVS DUE TO WX AND HOLDING INTO TEXAS. WHILE WAITING ON HOLD; A COMPANY Y SUPVR TELLS ME THAT HE CALLED DISPATCH AND HAD THEM LOWER MY TANKER FUEL ON THE TRIP. I LOOKED AT HIM AND ASKED; 'WHAT DID YOU SAY?' HE REPEATED THAT HE CALLED DISPATCH AND HAD THEM LOWER THE FUEL A 'FEW HUNDRED LBS' TO ACCOMMODATE ALL THE PEOPLE AND BAGS. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT THAT WAS UNACCEPTABLE AND I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH DISPATCH TO FIX WHAT HE HAD DONE. HE BECAME UPSET AND MUMBLED A FEW THINGS AND STORMED OFF TO HIS COMPUTER AND BEGAN TYPING AND MAKING PHONE CALLS. I CALLED DISPATCH TO FIND OUT WHY SOME GATE AGENT WAS ALLOWED TO LOWER OUR FUEL WITHOUT MY CONSENT. HE EXPLAINED HE TRIED TO CALL ME (WHICH HE DID; BUT I WAS IN THE BATHROOM AND DIDN'T ANSWER). HE DID LOWER IT TO APPEASE THE SUPVR. THIS IS NO REFLECTION ON DISPATCH BUT OF AN OUT OF CONTROL SUPVR WHO THINKS HE IS ABLE TO CALL OUR COMPANY AND CHANGE THE NUMBERS WITHOUT THE CAPT'S CONSENT. THIS IS A SERIOUS INFRACTION ON THE SAFETY OF OUR FLT CREW AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY SO NOT TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. ONE OF OUR NEWER CAPTS COULD HAVE BEEN EASILY PERSUADED INTO ALLOWING THIS SIT TO GO DOWN. THAT COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY JEOPARDIZED THE SAFETY OF OUR COMPANY AND THE PAX ON BOARD THAT ACFT. THE FUEL WAS RETURNED TO THE ORIGINAL STATED FUEL LOAD AND DEPARTED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

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.