B737-200 CREW NOTICED A FUEL IMBAL DURING FLT. CONFERRED WITH ACR MAINT AND DISPATCHER. FLEW DIRECT TO ATL; PREFERENTIAL HANDLING FROM THE CTR. POSTFLT INSPECTION SHOWED A FUEL LEAK ON #1 ENG. OBSERVATION OF LEAK DELAYED BY PAX PROBS.

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AFTER A POS RPT TO COMPANY; CAPT INITIATED A FUEL XFEED FROM R TANK TO L ENG FOR THE SECOND TIME DURING FLT. CREW NOTICED A DISCREPANCY BTWN CURRENT FUEL QUANTITY AND ESTIMATED FUEL QUANTITY REMAINING. CREW CONTACTED COMPANY DISPATCHER AND MAINT FOR THEIR INPUT. ACFT HAD NO HISTORY OF ANY FUEL GAUGE PROBS. CREW CALCULATED FUEL BURN TO ATL AND RECEIVED PREFERENTIAL HANDLING BY ATC. CREW ELECTED TO HAVE FIRE TRUCKS DISPATCHED. LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. AT THE GATE; MAINT CONFIRMED A FUEL LEAK ON THE #1 ENG. AS A SIDE NOTE; CREW'S ATTN WAS DISTR BY A SICK PAX AND NUMEROUS ADVISORIES BY FLT ATTENDANTS AS TO HER STATUS. SEVERAL ACARS MESSAGES WERE SUBSEQUENTLY SENT TO COMPANY BY THE CREW REGARDING THIS SICK PAX PRIOR TO NOTICING POSSIBLE FUEL LEAK. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 371699: WE REQUESTED A DIRECT ROUTING TO ATL FROM ATC (WHO HAD BEEN ADVISED OF OUR SIT VIA OUR DISPATCHER). LESSON LEARNED: CHK YOUR FUEL AT EACH POS RPT! THAT IS WHAT WE DID; WHICH LED US TO THE DISCOVERY OF THE FUEL DISCREPANCY.