A B737-800 CREW DECLARED A FUEL EMER WHEN UNEXPECTED DELAYS INTO LGA REDUCED FUEL BELOW ARR ESTIMATES.

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CAPT'S AUTH WAS USED TO DECLARE EMER FUEL. WE WERE DISPATCHED TO LAND AT LGA WITH 5000 LBS OF FUEL. THE WX WAS GOOD AND THE FLT TOOK PLACE AS PLANNED UNTIL WE REACHED THE GARED INTXN ON THE KORRY 3 ARR INTO LGA. ZDC TOLD US WE HAD TO HOLD AT FL280 OVER GARED DUE TO TFC FLOW INTO LGA. WE ENTERED THE HOLD AT XA20Z AND WAS GIVEN AN EFC OF XB00Z. WE COMPLETED ONE TURN AND WERE PROCEEDING OUTBOUND FROM GARED WHEN ZDC GAVE US CLRNC TO GO TO LGA VIA THE KORRY 3. WE ASKED ZDC OF ANY FURTHER DELAYS INTO LGA. WE WERE TOLD NONE WERE EXPECTED. WE WERE HANDED OFF TO NEW YORK APCH. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 647494: BY NOW WE WERE THE SAME DISTANCE FROM JFK AS LGA. WITH THE SLOWING ON THE APCH; PROBABLE VECTORS AND ALWAYS THE CHANCE OF A MISSED APCH; WE ELECTED TO DECLARE EMER FUEL. WE WERE ASKED IF WE COULD ACCEPT THE RIVER VISUAL TO RWY 13 AND ACCEPTED. LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL AND AFTER A LITTLE DELAY ON TAXI IN; WE ARRIVED AT THE GATE WITH 3500 LBS OF FUEL. ATC WAS EXCELLENT; I'M NOT SURE IF WE WERE FIT IN OR GIVEN TFC PRIORITY; BUT THEY HANDLED US PERFECTLY. LESSON LEARNED: PLANNING A 3 HR FLT TO BUSY CITIES ON MINIMUM FUEL REQUIRES A LOT OF THINGS TO GO RIGHT; IE; NO DEP DELAYS; SMOOTH FLT PLANNED ALTS; AND NO ARR DELAYS -- EVEN IN PERFECT WX.