B757-200 FLT CREW; GIVEN GAR BY ATC DUE TO SPACING; IS THEN GIVEN VECTORS AND DELAYS PRECIPITATING A MINIMUM FUEL SITUATION.

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SPACING INDUCED GAR INITIATED BY JFK TWR (APPROX 4 MI BEHIND B777) GIVEN 040 DEG HDG; CLB TO 5000 FT. I FLEW THEIR EXACT SPDS DURING THE APCH. COMPLIED WITH CLRNC; SWITCHED TO APCH CTL AND PASSING 3000 FT IN CLB; THE CTLR EXPECTED US AT 2000 FT. WE NEGOTIATED A LEVEL AT 4000 FT BUT THE AUTOPLT HANDLED IT. AFTER CAPTURE AT 4000 FT; THE AUTOPLT STARTED DSNDING. I CAUGHT IT AT 3700 FT AND MANUALLY LEVELED BACK AT 4000 FT. WE THEN WERE GIVEN VECTORS 18 MI N AND I STARTED NEGOTIATING A SLOT BACK IN LINE AS WE WERE CONCERNED WITH ALTERNATE FUEL. USED CRM WITH THE CTLR AND STATED THAT THIS WAS NOT OUR GAR AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE GETTING BACK IN LINE A LITTLE SOONER (FO ALSO VOICED CONCERN FOR FUEL). CTLR SUGGESTED MINIMUM FUEL TO HELP SITUATION SO I DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL. WE WERE INITIALLY GIVEN A TURN FOR RWY 4L (PRIORITY) THEN THE CTLR ASKED HOW MUCH TIME IN FUEL. I RESPONDED 1 HR BUT I WAS FACTORING IN A REVISED ALTERNATE DISPATCH HAD JUST ASSIGNED US AFTER THE GAR. JUST AFTER WE INFORMED NEW YORK TRACON OF 1 HR; I HEARD A DISTINCT 'SNICKER' ON THE FREQ AND WE WERE THEN RE-SEQUENCED FOR RWY 4R AGAIN AND PUT IN A LONG LINE. AFTER PASSING JFK OVERHEAD WITH 8.5 (INITIALLY) AND THEN THE ATC INDUCED GAR AND EXTENSIVE VECTORS; WE BLOCKED WITH APPROX 4.8. I HAVE 2 ISSUES WITH THIS HANDLING AT JFK: 1) THE VARIABLE ALT ASSIGNMENTS ON THE MISSED APCH AND THE LACK OF COORD BTWN CTLRS LEADING TO AN EXPECTATION THAT WE WERE TO BE AT 2000 FT; AND 2) THE IMMEDIATE CHANGE AS TO OUR PRIORITY TO RETURN TO THE FIELD ONCE WE VERBALLY GAVE 1 HR OF FUEL ENDURANCE WHEN THEY HAD INITIALLY SET US UP FOR RWY 4L IN LIEU OF RWY 4R. I REALIZE MINIMUM FUEL DOES NOT ASSURE PRIORITY; HOWEVER; I DO NOT FEEL THEY WERE CONSIDERING THE ALTERNATE FUEL BURN (2.2) TO PHL. I WAS MINIMUM FUEL WITH 1 HR AT JFK CONSIDERING THE BURN OVER TO PHL AND THE WX CONDITION.