A MD80 captain reported requesting more fuel during preflight because of known ATC altitude controls...

Attributes
ACN	891631
Time
Date	201005
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	MD-80 Series (DC-9-80) Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Parked
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	ATC Issue All Types Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue

Narrative:

I was not comfortable with the fuel load; so contacted dispatch. ATC was leveling all flights enroute and load control was having difficulty with computers. Only one computer for the entire load control department was working when I spoke to the load agent assigned our flight. I anticipated a higher fuel burn/delay on the ground and level off before climbing to planned cruise altitude which would increase our planned burn. I requested an extra 500 pounds of fuel. After consulting with dispatch in accordance with far 121 and company flight manual; the flight was dispatched with appropriate fuel. Captain's letter states that we are now required to file a report if we disagree with the planned fuel load.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A MD80 Captain reported requesting more fuel during preflight because of known ATC altitude controls. The additional fuel required concurrence with Dispatch and Load Control.

Narrative: I was not comfortable with the fuel load; so contacted Dispatch. ATC was leveling all flights enroute and Load Control was having difficulty with computers. Only one computer for the entire Load Control Department was working when I spoke to the Load Agent assigned our flight. I anticipated a higher fuel burn/delay on the ground and level off before climbing to planned cruise altitude which would increase our planned burn. I requested an extra 500 pounds of fuel. After consulting with Dispatch in accordance with FAR 121 and Company Flight Manual; the flight was dispatched with appropriate fuel. Captain's letter states that we are now required to file a report if we disagree with the planned fuel load.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.

A MD80 captain reported requesting more fuel during preflight because of known ATC altitude controls. The additional fuel required concurrence with dispatch and load control.