AN ARRIVING B757 RECEIVED SOME UNEXPECTED DELAYING VECTORS WHILE ON APCH TO JFK. THE FLT WAS ARRIVING FROM AN OVERSEAS DEP ARPT. A MINIMUM FUEL ADVISORY WAS ISSUED BY THE PIC TO ATC. UPON SWITCHING TO TWR PIC WAS ADVISED THAT TWR HAD CALLED OUT THE EMER GND EQUIP SINCE 'HE HAD HIS OWN PROCS TO FOLLOW.'

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PRIOR TO 50 MI W WE (FLT BCN DIRECT JFK) RECEIVED A RE- RELEASE TO JFK WITH A PHL ALTERNATE. OUR PLANNED ARR FUEL AT JFK WAS 5100 LBS WITH 3900 LBS ALTERNATE FUEL TO PHL. I DO NOT RECALL FUEL ONBOARD AT THE TIME OF RE-RELEASE BUT IT WAS IN EXCESS OF THAT REQUIRED BY THE RE-RELEASE. THE CAPT SENT AN ACARS MESSAGE TO JFK DISPATCH INQUIRING ON CONDITIONS AT JFK AND DELAYS; IF ANY. WE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING REPLY: RWY 22L ILS 6000+ FT RVR NO DELAYS. WE RECEIVED VERY EXPEDIENT ATC HANDLING UNTIL APPROX CALVERTON (CCC) ON THE PLYMM FOUR ARR. AT THAT TIME WE WERE VECTORED OFF THE ARR. THE FUEL ONBOARD WAS STILL IN EXCESS OF THAT REQUIRED TO ARRIVE AT JFK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RE-RELEASE. AGAIN; THE CAPT CONTACTED DISPATCH DIRECTLY (129.10) AND WAS ADVISED MINIMAL IF ANY DELAY. AS WE CONTINUED THE VECTORING FOR THE ILS RWY 22L IT APPEARED TO ALL CREW MEMBERS THAT OUR PRESENT WESTERLY VECTOR WOULD BE DIRECTLY TO INTERCEPT THE FINAL APCH COURSE. IT WAS AT THIS POINT WE RECEIVED A TURN TO THE S TO TAKE US S OF SOME WX THEN BACK IN LINE TO FINAL. I BELIEVE IT WAS AT THIS TIME THE CAPT CONSULTED THE OTHER FO (PF) AS TO THE PROPER PHRASEOLOGY AND MEANING OF 'MINIMUM FUEL ADVISORY.' WE WERE ALL IN AGREEMENT THAT IT WAS APPROPRIATE AND DID NOT CONSTITUTE AN EMER. UPON ADVISING ATC THAT WE WERE MAKING A MINIMUM FUEL ADVISORY THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION WHEREIN THE CAPT RESTATED HE WAS NOT DECLARING AN EMER BUT COULD NOT ACCEPT FURTHER DELAYS. WHEN WE WERE GIVEN FREQ CHANGE TO TWR WE WERE ADVISED THAT FIRE RESCUE WAS STANDING BY OUR ARR. ONCE AGAIN A DISCUSSION FOLLOWED WHEREIN THE CAPT REPEATED HE HAD NOT DECLARED AN EMER. THE TWR ACKNOWLEDGED THIS AND STATED THAT HE UNDERSTOOD BUT HE HAD HIS OWN PROCS TO FOLLOW OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. THE APCH AND LNDG WERE COMPLETED WITHOUT INCIDENT.