FLC OF AN LTT DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO MINIMUM FUEL.

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TRIP OPERATED BTWN BHM AND STL. FUELED TO 3000 LBS; DISPATCH RELEASE INDICATED THAT INCLUDED 200 LBS INCREASED FOR HEADWINDS. WX ENRTE TO DEST WAS FORECAST AND RPTED AS GOOD. DEPARTED WITH 2960 LBS; WELL ABOVE MINIMUM FUEL. THE FLT PROGRESSED NORMALLY AND AS EXPECTED UNTIL ENTERING ZKC AIRSPACE. IN THE VICINITY OF THE MWA VOR; ZKC REQUESTED WE REDUCE OUR SPD ENRTE FOR POSSIBLE HOLDING. WE COMPLIED WITH THAT AND RECEIVED DSCNT CLRNC TO 11000 FT. WE ASKED CTR TO DELAY OUR DSCNT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE AND THEY TOLD US FASTER TFC BEHIND US AND NEEDED US TO DSND NOW DOWN TO 15000 FT. APCHING RACKK INTXN ON THE QBALL ARR; WE RECEIVED HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS AT RACKK WITH EXPECT FURTHER CLRNC OF XA55. WE WERE CONTINUOUSLY CHKING OUR FUEL QUANTITY AND DEST WX AND CALLED FLT CTL WITH OUR HOLDING INSTRUCTIONS AND ESTIMATED FUEL CALCULATED (EFC) TIME. FLT CTL SIMPLY REPLIED 'CALL US WHEN YOU LEAVE HOLDING.' WE CALCULATED THAT WE WOULD LEAVE HOLDING WITH NO LESS THAN 1100 LBS AND OUR EFC TIME WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THAT. WE ALSO CHKED WX FOR DIVERSION TO NEARBY CGI ARPT. AS IT TURNED OUT; BEFORE WE HAD MADE 1 COMPLETE CIRCUIT IN HOLDING PATTERN; ATC CLRED US INBOUND AT NORMAL SPD TO CROSS QBALL AT 8000 FT; BEFORE OUR EFC TIME CAME UP. THEN WE GOT INTO STL APCH AIRSPACE AND RECEIVED A SPD REDUCTION AND BEGAN RECEIVING RADAR VECTORS. WE DISCUSSED OUR FUEL SIT AGAIN AND WE DECIDED TO DECLARE 'MINIMUM FUEL' TO ATC. ATC ACKNOWLEDGED AND GAVE US A FURTHER TURN AWAY FROM THE ARPT. WE THEN REPEATED AND EMPHASIZED 'MINIMUM FUEL' AND WERE TOLD BY THE APCH CTLR THAT HE'D HAVE TO TAKE ACFT OUT OF SEQUENCE TO GET US IN CLOSER; AND HE WOULD DO THAT IF WE WERE DECLARING AN EMER. WE DISCUSSED IT AND DECIDED TO OPT FOR THE MOST EXPEDITIOUS HANDLING POSSIBLE AND DECLARED EMER TO ATC. THE FLT ARRIVED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT AND UPON ARR AT STL; WE HAD IFR RESERVES; PLUS SOME. I FEEL THAT STL NEEDS TO COME UP WITH A DIFFERENT PLAN TO SEQUENCE AIRPLANES IN MINIMUM FUEL SIT.