Policy at my company is to declare "minimum fuel" if landing is anticipated with minimum reserve fuel aboard and to declare an emergency if landing will be at 30 minutes or less fuel remaining.
I have held until reaching "min fuel" (plus personal extra) then have encountered delays in the subsequent divert. I have also bailed out early and arrived at the alternate with an abundance of remaining fuel. I have never gone to the point of declaring a fuel emergency but have gone into the region between min and emergency fuel.
You can arrive at the holding pattern with 10000 extra, then leave the hold for the alternate at min fuel. Is it more prudent to wait out weather in a holding pattern and avoid a (costly) divert or to divert now and avoid the rush later?
Answer: it depends.
Some a quick to jump on the Ryanair guys, but in the end it is only the crew who make the decisions.
Gotta love the peanut gallery.
Last edited by BobnSpike; 28th Jul 2012 at 20:57.