A B-747-400 CREW ISSUED A MINIMUM FUEL ADVISORY TO APCH CTLR IN FOREIGN AIRSPACE.

Narrative

DUE TO EXCESS FUEL BURN ON ARR NARITA; JAPAN (MINUS 7000 LBS) WAS UNABLE TO HOLD 30 MIN AS REQUESTED BY ATC. ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED PRIORITY HANDLING FOR THE APCH. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FO RPTR RETURNED THE CALL BACK. HE STATED THAT THE REASONS FOR THE FUEL BURN BEING OVER THE FUEL BURN FIGURES IN THE COMPUTER FLT PLAN WERE 4 FOLD. THE FIRST ISSUE WAS THAT THE FLT; WHILE UNDER FLC NUMBER 1 (CAPT AND FO) FOR 1/2 OF THE FLT; HAD BEEN HELD DOWN; FOR A TIME; TO FL230 THAT INCREASED THE FUEL BURN. WHILE AT A HIGHER CRUISE LEVEL LATER; CREW #1 ENCOUNTERED A SECOND ISSUE; MOD TURB; AND CLBED ABOVE OPTIMUM ALT FOR SMOOTHER AIR. LATER IN THE FLT THAT FIRST CREW WAS ASKED IF THEY WISHED TO MAINTAIN THAT ALT; WHICH WAS BY NOW BELOW OPTIMUM ALT; FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP. THEY ELECTED TO ASK FOR THE HIGHER FLT LEVEL THAT FLT PLANNING SHOWED TO BE MORE OPTIMAL; EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT CORRECT FOR THEIR WT AT THAT POINT IN TIME. (RPTR MENTIONED THAT THIS 'ALT SLOT' WAS A RECURRING PROB OVER THIS RTE TO NRT SO CREWS SOMETIMES DO CLB EARLY) THAT WAS THE THIRD ISSUE. THE FOURTH ISSUE THAT; OVERALL; THE WINDS ALOFT WERE AVERAGING A 25 KT STRONGER HEAD WIND COMPONENT AS MEASURED AGAINST THE FLT PLAN. WINDS WERE SIMPLY STRONGER THAN EXPECTED. THE CAPT AND FO (CREW #2) HAD EXPECTED TO ARRIVE AT NRT WITH ABOUT 31000 LBS OF FUEL. THEY WERE NOW SHORT BY 7000 LBS. THE DELAY ANNOUNCED WAS FOR 30 MIN. THE CAPT ADVISED ATC THAT; 'WE NEED TO RECEIVE PRIORITY HANDLING -- CAN'T HOLD THAT LONG OR WE WILL HAVE TO DIVERT.' ATC DID NOT QUESTION THIS; THEY SIMPLY 'SWAPPED' POS OF THIS FLT WITH ANOTHER COMPANY FLT AND THE RPTRS WERE THEN #1 FOR THE RELEASE OUT OF THE HOLDING PATTERN; WHICH OCCURRED WITHIN 1 MIN. HAD THE FLT ACCEPTED THE DELAY THE FLT WOULD HAVE THEN BEEN PLANNED TO LAND WITH 18000 LBS OF FUEL; INCREASING THE CREW'S CONCERNS.