Air carrier on a diversion from another airport declared minimum fuel but was not afforded any prior...

Narrative:

[We] deviated to our alternate after breaking off two approaches at our planned destination due to hazardous weather on the field. Enroute to our alternate we declared minimum fuel with all ATC facilities. I expected to receive priority handling from approach. I requested a visual to the runway. Instead ATC gave me a heading away from the field. I reminded him that we were minimum fuel and that we needed to go directly to the field. ATC told me that I could only get priority handling if I declared emergency fuel. I then declared [emergency] fuel and we were given clearance to the marker for the runway [where] we landed with our reserve fuel exactly. ATC failed to recognize the significance of our minimum fuel declaration. I feel that they were trying to intimidate me into taking delaying vectors. ATC should try to do everything that they can in order to prevent crews from having to declare an emergency in order to land with adequate reserve fuel.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Air Carrier on a diversion from another airport declared minimum fuel but was not afforded any priority by ATC; the reporter subsequently declared emergency fuel but questioned ATC's action/s regarding the fuel issue.

Narrative: [We] deviated to our alternate after breaking off two approaches at our planned destination due to hazardous weather on the field. Enroute to our alternate we declared minimum fuel with all ATC facilities. I expected to receive priority handling from approach. I requested a visual to the runway. Instead ATC gave me a heading away from the field. I reminded him that we were minimum fuel and that we needed to go directly to the field. ATC told me that I could only get priority handling if I declared emergency fuel. I then declared [emergency] fuel and we were given clearance to the marker for the runway [where] we landed with our reserve fuel exactly. ATC failed to recognize the significance of our minimum fuel declaration. I feel that they were trying to intimidate me into taking delaying vectors. ATC should try to do everything that they can in order to prevent crews from having to declare an emergency in order to land with adequate reserve fuel.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	950083
Time
Date	201105
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	A319
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Initial Approach
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	ATC Issue All Types Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue

Air carrier on a diversion from another airport declared minimum fuel but was not afforded any priority by ATC; the reporter subsequently declared emergency fuel but questioned ATC's action/s regarding the fuel issue.