Sorry I couldn't answer to your replies to my comment earlier, but I also somtimes have to work.
At least I brought up some discussion to this matter. But still I have the impression, that my thoughts and understanding of this matter needs some clarification about what I mean.
MAR10, if you look at my wording, you will see that my feeling is that the decision on how much fuel to carry lies solely with the crew. Any pressure by the company to push anybody on how much fuel to carry, in my eyes, disqualifies the management, showing it is unable to lead an airline.
Next it looks like everybody has different understanding about what min fuel means. To me it is the minimum fuel to carry according to law to ensure a safe flight. It includes Taxi, Departure, Enroute, Approach, Contingency, Missed Approach, Climb out, Flight to Alternate, Approach to Alternate, and a safty reserve as specified by the authorities.
So, with this clarification, I hope I can convince some of you, that it is not unsafe to fly with my company.
Now, experience has shown, that with our flight plan calculation, you usually land with a lot of fuel above min diversion remaining. So the question I tried to arise is: Is it really necessary to carry any extra fuel?
Now to the concerns about getting the wrong FL or being vectored around a littlebit. If, at least for longer flights, you know the performance of your aircraft, you usually should find ways (reducing cost index, reclearance calculation, etc.) to adjust to the adverse situation, if !! you really find out that you are using up your contingency.
The last point to mention is the flight plan calculation your company is providing you with. At least our flight plans are individual calculations, considering high consumption for each individual aircraft. Our company provides us with information about what is considered in the these calculations. Still we try to cross-check these calculations provided as much as possible, as there still might be some mistakes in there. As I said above the decision lies solely with the crew.
And I can assure you that, if I feel any uncertainty about what to expect, I will also carry etra fuel. If I fly to a new airport for example or if I have to approach FRA during high season, you bet I will take at least 30 min or an hour extra.
On the other hand, as long as you are not sure on how to trust your company flight plan, I understand anybody always carrying extra fuel to stay safe.