Sure but my opinion is that as soon as you have to throw out Pan's or Mayday's due to fuel something has gone wrong during fuel planning. Or at least should be looked at very closely.
Part of discussing this is just to expand on my own knowledge. I think it is interesting to see what other people think.
With regard to alternate fuel. The AIC that is reffered to in post 2, and most recently was called 045/2009, also states the following:
7 When the planned alternate aerodrome is in the same busy area as the destination, for instance Heathrow and Gatwick, the track miles on which the fuel requirement for flying to the alternate is calculated should be realistically assessed taking account of the extended routing which can reasonably be expected during busy periods.
Its all open to interpretation and often it can be read differently as mindsets vary.
I'm not afraid to use a Pan or a Mayday. I have never done a textbook diversion as you described either, not in real-life not in the sim. Would be interesting though for an LOE.
In the end as pilots we are ultimately responsible for the fuel planning, so I give it careful consideration. Maybe you feel its too conservative, but at least its reasoned
