AN ACR FREIGHTER FLC IN A DC9 HAD TO DIVERT TO AN ALTERNATE ARPT WHEN THEY GOT LOW ON FUEL; BUT DUE TO TFC SATURATION AN APCH CTLR REFUSED TO ACCEPT MORE TFC UNTIL THE FLC DECLARED AN EMER. THE RPTR CRITICIZED THE FACILITY.

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WE WERE A REGULARLY SCHEDULED CARGO FLT FROM JFK TO PHL. WHEN WE DEPARTED JFK; PHL WAS ONLY ACCEPTING CAT 2 ARRS. WE PROCEEDED SINCE WE WERE CAT 2 QUALIFIED. OUR CLRNC WAS JFK RWY 22R; RWY HEADING VECTORS FOR DIXIE INTXN V16 CEDAR LAKE VIA TWO MORE FIXES I DON'T RECALL TO PHL. PRIOR CEDAR LAKE VOR WE WERE GIVEN HOLDING INSTRUCTION TO HOLD AT CEDAR LAKE SINCE PHL WAS CLOSED DUE TO FOG. WE ENTERED HOLDING AT XA46 EST. AT APPROX XB35 WE WERE 1000 LBS SHY OF OUR ALTERNATE/RESERVE FUEL AND DECIDED TO PROCEED TO OUR ALTERNATE IAD. ATLANTIC CITY INFORMED US THAT BWI APCH WOULD NOT ACCEPT US DUE TO SATURATION. ATLANTIC CITY BEGAN TO VECTOR US AND HANDED US OFF TO DOVER APCH. DOVER ALSO SAID BALTIMORE WOULD NOT TAKE US AND CONTINUED TO VECTOR US IN A MAKE SHIFT HOLDING PATTERN AT 6000 FT WITH NO EFC TIME AND NEVER TELLING US WHAT TO EXPECT. HIS RADIOS ALSO SEEMED TO HAVE A PROB; MAKING COM DIFFICULT. WE DECLARED 'ABNORMAL FUEL' WHICH DIDN'T HELP US. THEN DECLARED 'EMER FUEL' WHEN APPROPRIATE WHICH FINALLY GOT US THROUGH BALTIMORE TO IAD. LACK OF COORD BTWN APCH CTLRS AT ATLANTIC CITY; DOVER; AND BALTIMORE (I BELIEVE) CONTRIBUTED TO THIS NEAR DISASTER. WE LANDED WITH 3000 LBS TOTAL FUEL; APPROX 30 MINS FOR A DC9.