FLC LANDS WITH LESS THAN MINIMUM FUEL.

Narrative

WE DEPARTED BHM FOR STL WITH 3000 LBS OF FUEL; NORMAL FUEL BURN IS 1700 LBS; ALLOWING ONLY 500 LBS UNTIL OUR 800 LBS MINIMUM FOR FLT OPS (POINT AT WHICH OUR GOM STATES YOU WILL DECLARE AN EMER). ON THE QBALL2 ARR INTO STL WE WERE ISSUED HOLDING AT THE QBALL INTXN AT 10000 FT MSL WITH AN EXPECT FURTHER CLRNC OF APPROX 30 MINS AFTER OUR ARR THERE. AT THIS POINT WE WERE DOWN TO 1450 LBS OF FUEL; WHICH WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO GET THERE BECAUSE OF A E/W LINE OF WX BTWN US AND STL (WHICH IS A S/N COURSE); SO I REQUESTED ATC TO GIVE US A HDG W OF COURSE SO THAT WE COULD ABSORB OUR DELAY GOING AROUND THE WX AND BE THAT MUCH CLOSER TO STL WHEN WE COULD GO INBOUND. THIS RTE ALSO TOOK US CLOSE TO SEVERAL LEGAL ALTERNATES WITHIN OUR FUEL RANGE (SPRINGFIELD SGF; COLUMBIA; MO). IT BECAME APPARENT TO ME AFTER 10 MORE MINS THAT WE WOULD NOT GET TURNED BACK INBOUND RAPIDLY AND AT THIS TIME I BEGAN TO FIGURE BURNS TO OUR ALT ARPT (THE CAPT WAS AT THIS POINT DEALING WITH COMPANY ON COM #3 ABOUT OUR HOLD/DELAY BUT NOT AN ALTERNATE ARPT. I INFORMED HIM WE WOULD NOT MAKE STL WITH LEGAL FUEL. HE SAID THAT AT THIS POINT IT WAS A WASH BECAUSE WE WERE EQUAL DISTANT FROM EITHER ONE. I REPLIED 'YES; BUT THERE ISN'T HOLDING INTO COLUMBIA AND THERE IS INTO STL WITH BAD WX; AND WE COULD NOT TAKE THE DELAY.' WE LANDED WITH LOW FUEL STATUS AND I FEEL THAT THIS WAS NOT NECESSARY. HIS ACTIONS WERE TOTALLY AGAINST ANY COCKPIT RESOURCE MGMNT PROCS AND NOT VERY CONSIDERABLE OF MY THOUGHTS EITHER.