Originally Posted by
simon001
How much fuel reserve is such a flight likely to take? Might destination weather have been a factor in the decision to divert, which was taken only 25 minutes into the cruise portion of this 3 hour flight? Might other factors have been at play?
The US domestic rules require 45 minutes of reserve fuel. Plus fuel to an alternate unless the the 1-2-3 rule is met. From one hour prior to one hour after the ETA the cloud ceiling is at least 2000 feet and the visibility at least 3 miles. Looking at the weather that afternoon they probably had an alternate but it may have just been HOU so say another 15 minutes of fuel for a total of an extra hour's worth of fuel. Your other two questions are impossible to answer without talking to the crew and dispatcher so I’ll just say yes and yes.