Originally Posted by
AerocatS2A
Have another read. A min fuel plan would typically have an alternate, so if you do use your variable reserve, you just start using alternate fuel, not fixed reserve. I’d be surprised if Australian airlines that don’t carry an alternate would be only planning for burn + variable. Where I worked we planned to land with at least 2000kg, a bit over 60 minutes, or min fuel, whichever was more. We never planned to arrive at the destination with just fixed + variable, so changing the variable from 10% to 5% would make no difference at all on a typical day.
if you need to carry alternate fuel in the first place, why would you burn into your alternate fuel unless you’re on your way to your alternate or the TAF or other conditions change that remove the legal requirement for the alternate?