B757-200 DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL WHEN WX AT DEST WAS WORSE THAN FORECAST AND THEY MISSED AN APCH.

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DISPATCHED UNDER ALTERNATE EXEMPTION. MARGINAL WX AT JFK. AN EXTRA 2.5 OF FUEL WAS ADDED FOR ATC/TURB. DURING APCH AT 3000 FT; ACR DECLARED EMER AND WAS GIVEN PRIORITY. WE WERE VECTORED EXTENSIVELY. FINALLY CLRED APCH RWY 31L. VISIBILITY DROPPED TO 2000 FT RVR (2400 FT REQUIRED) CAT I. GAR WAS REQUIRED. DURING THE GAR WE EXPERIENCED A THUMP SOUND AND FELT IT ON THE ACFT CTLS. VISIBILITY WAS BETTER FOR RWY 31L. WE DECLARED 'MINIMUM FUEL.' AT THIS POINT WE HAD 6.6 ON THE FUEL (AT TOP OF DSCNT WE HAD 10.3). CONDUCTED A CAT I UNEVENTFUL APCH TO MINIMUMS. LANDED WITH 5.9 FUEL. PLEASE TAKE NOTE WE HAD NO PLANNED ALTERNATE. WX AT ALL 3 NEW YORK AREA ARPTS WAS MARGINAL. THE ENTIRE NEW YORK AREA WAS SATURATED WITH AIRPLANES DUE TO WX. HAD WE MISSED A SECOND TIME AT JFK WE WOULD'VE HAD MORE VECTORING FOR EITHER EWR OR LGA. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 716215: I'M WRITING THIS TO ILLUSTRATE THE WEAKNESS IN ACR USE OF EXEMPTION FOR FLT PLANNING PURPOSES AND ALTERNATE PLANNING. WE WERE FLT PLANNED WITHOUT AN ALTERNATE; USING THIS EXEMPTION (OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 1-1-2 RULE). ENRTE; JFK WX DETERIORATED; AND RWYS WERE SWITCHED. EXEMPTION NO LONGER APPLIED; AS NEW RWYS WERE NOT CAT II/III CAPABLE. CONFERRED ON OPTIONS; AND CONSULTED WITH DISPATCH WHO SUGGESTED SWF AS ALTERNATE. ON APCH; AFTER LENDY STAR; WE RECEIVED NUMEROUS AND LENGTHY VECTORS TO ALLOW ANOTHER CARRIER EMER ACFT PRIORITY. THIS WAS AT LOW ALT AND LOW AIRSPD. ANYWAY; ACR'S USE OF EXEMPTION NOT ADVISABLE WITH WIDESPREAD WX LIKE THIS. ALL AREA ARPTS WERE COMPROMISED.