LGT CAPT DECLARES AN EMER WHEN ATC HANDLING CAUSES MORE THAN PLANNED FUEL CONSUMPTION.

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3:18 FLT FROM COZUMEL; MEXICO; TO CHICAGO O'HARE; WITH SUFFICIENT FLT PLAN FUEL PLUS 1200 LBS EXTRA. DECLARED 'MINIMUM FUEL' AND THEN 'EMER' WHEN TWR GAVE GAR INSTRUCTIONS; INSIDE FINAL APCH FIX; FULLY CONFIGURED FOR LNDG; RWY 9R. FACTORS: 1) WITH FLT PLAN ALT 35000 FT MERIDA (MEXICO) CTR ASSIGNED 28000 FT THEN; ON ENTERING US; ZHU ASSIGNED 27000 FT. 2) S OF ST LOUIS; ZKC VECTORED FLT WELL W OF COURSE TO ACCOMMODATE SEQUENCING INTO CHICAGO. FLT WAS SLOWED TO 250 KTS AT ALT; HIGHER ACFT WERE ALLOWED TO PASS; FLT WAS QUICKLY CLRED TO 11000 FT WHERE LOW ALT VECTORING; BELOW CLEAN (FLAP) SPDS BEGAN. THESE EVENTS ARE COMMON ON CHICAGO DSCNTS AND APCHS. 3) ATIS (8500 FT BROKEN 6 MI IN HAZE) WAS LAST RPTED WX AND NOT UPDATED THROUGH ANY SUBSEQUENT COMS. ACTUAL WX AT TIME OF GAR WAS MARGINAL VFR AND MY BELIEF IS THAT THE FIELD (O'HARE) WAS IFR. 4) ON GAR; CTLR COULD NOT CONFIRM (AFTER 'MINIMUM FUEL' DECLARATION) PRESENT WX; TIME FOR NEW APCH; RWY TO BE USED; BUT WAS ASSIGNING '20 MI FINAL' TO ACFT AHEAD. WE DECLARED 'EMER.' 5) SEVERAL DIFFERENT CTLRS WERE USING OUR FREQ AND MY IMPRESSION WAS THAT SOME WERE INEXPERIENCED AND THAT SUPVRS WERE BREAKING IN WITH INSTRUCTIONS. 1 CTLR ATTEMPTED TO ASSIGN US 170 KTS; REQUIRING FLAPS AND EXTRA FUEL BURN -- WE REFUSED. FINALLY; ON BASE LEG TO NEW RWY 14R; WE WERE INFORMED (AFTER ATTEMPTS TO GET 'SHORT APCH') THAT THERE WERE 2 OTHER ACFT WITH DECLARED EMERS AHEAD OF US ON FINAL APCH. WE COMPLIED WITH 170 KT SPD RESTRICTION. LATER; 160 KTS. FLT LANDED WITH LESS THAN 8000 LBS FUEL. INSUFFICIENT TO GET COMFORTABLY OR 'LEGALLY' TO MILWAUKEE ALTERNATE. CONSIDERATIONS: KANSAS CITY AND CHICAGO APCH REGULARLY USE UNUSUAL SLOW DOWNS; SEQUENCING; AND VECTORING (INCLUDING LOW ALT; AT FLAP REQUIRED SPDS) WITHOUT DUE CONSIDERATION OF FUEL CONSEQUENCES. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT INEXPERIENCED CTLRS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS SIT. CHICAGO APCH WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THE WX CONDITIONS. DID NOT RECOGNIZE PROB SOON ENOUGH; AND DID NOT (AT ALL!) UPDATE THE ATIS OR COMMUNICATE THE SIGNIFICANTLY DETERIORATED WX CONDITIONS TO MY FLT. AT TIME OF MY GAR; CHICAGO (O'HARE APCH AND TWR) WAS DISORGANIZED AND UNPREPARED (UNABLE TO CLRLY COMMUNICATE INTENTIONS) FOR AN EMER; OR 2; OR 3. (AND WERE THERE OTHERS I AM UNAWARE OF?)