FLT CREW OF B737 FAIL TO TURN ON CTR TANK FUEL PUMPS DURING COCKPIT CONFIGN FOR ENG START. ARRIVE AT DEST WITH MAIN PUMPS NEARLY EMPTY AND SWITCH TO THE CTR TANK FOR APCH AND LNDG.

Narrative

THE CTR TANK FUEL PUMPS WERE NOT TURNED ON AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME IN THE BEFORE START CHKLIST. THE BEFORE START CHKLIST WAS INTERRUPTED; IN LGA; BY DELIVERY OF OUR CLRNC (DUE TO NOT RECEIVING A PDC); AND WE NEVER RETURNED TO THE LAST ITEM ON THE LIST; WHICH WAS THE FUEL PUMPS VERIFICATION. DURING DSCNT INTO IAH; IT WAS NOTICED; BY ME; THAT THE MAIN TANKS WERE DOWN TO AROUND 1500 LBS OF FUEL PER TANK. AT THAT TIME; THE CTR PUMPS WERE TURNED ON; AND THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT WAS FLOWN USING CTR TANK FUEL. TOTAL FUEL AT TOUCHDOWN WAS 10400 LBS. AS SOON AS THE CONFIGN PROB WAS DETECTED; I HAD MY COPLT FLY THE ACFT; WHILE I CALLED OUR DISPATCHER TO SEE IF WE COULD WORK UP SOME LAST MIN LNDG WT AND BAL FIGURES. A LOAD PLANNER CAME ON LINE; BUT THE CONVERSATION BECAME VERY DIFFICULT; DUE TO A VERY BAD CONNECTION. WITH THE INCREASE IN THE COCKPIT WORKLOAD; DUE TO THE IMPENDING LNDG; I OPTED TO DISCONTINUE THE CALL; AND LAND THE ACFT. THE LNDG WAS NORMAL AND WE TAXIED TO THE GATE WITH NO OTHER PROBS.