EXTENDED TAXI TIME WHILE CARRYING ADDITIONAL FUEL FOR A REQUESTED; BUT NOT REQUIRED; ALTERNATE RESULTS IN B747-400 DEPARTING WITHOUT TECHNICALLY LEGAL FUEL ONBOARD. REMOVAL OF THE ALTERNATE DURING SUBSEQUENT COMMUNICATIONS RESOLVES THE ISSUE.

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DURING BRIEFING THE CAPT ASKED FOR CBR AS AN ALTERNATE. IT WAS NOT LEGALLY REQUIRED BUT CURRENT FAT WAS GETTING CLOSE TO REQUIRING ONE. THE CAPT CONFERRED WITH HIS CREW WHILE ON THE PHONE WITH ME. THEY WANTED A FAT OF 33.0 LBS SO IF THEY HAD TO DIVERT TO CBR THEY WOULD LAND WITH 20.0 LBS. THIS WAS THEIR COMFORT FUEL. I HAD NO PROB WITH THIS. DURING THE NEXT 2 HOURS THE PAYLOAD KEPT GOING UP AND DOWN AS IS USUAL WITH THIS FLT. SHORTLY PRIOR TO PUSH; ZZZ CALLED AND TOLD ME THE FUEL DENSITY HAD CHANGED; RLS 5 WAS SENT. THE FLT PUSHED AND BEGAN TO TAXI. ONCE AGAIN THERE WAS A ZFW CHANGE DURING TAXI; I SENT RLS 6 WITH THE NEW ZFW; AT THE SAME TIME I RECEIVED AN ACARS MESSAGE FROM THE CREW ASKING WERE THEY STILL LEGAL. I RAN THE PLAN AGAIN AND SAW THEY WERE UNDER CLRED FUEL; BUT WOULD BE OK IF WE REMOVED THE ALTERNATE AND SENT THIS MESSAGE TO THEM; 'WE CAN REMOVE THE ALTERNATE OR GO BACK FOR MORE FUEL.' JUST A FEW MOMENTS LATER I RECEIVED AN ACARS FROM THEM SAYING 'RLS 6 OK' THEN THE FLT WAS AIRBORNE. I WAS OK WITH THIS KNOWING THAT THE ALTERNATE WAS NOT NEEDED AND COULD BE REMOVED; I ALSO KNEW IF THE CAPT HAD ANY CONCERNS HE WOULD CALL ME ON SATCOM. THE CAPT AND I KNEW WE WOULD DISCUSS THIS AS SOON AS WE COULD. UPON THE CAPT'S RETURN TO ZZZ; THE CAPT CALLED ME SO WE COULD DISCUSS THIS. CAPT TOLD ME THERE HAD BEEN A LOT OF SMALL THINGS GOING ON THE WHOLE TIME. THE CAPT SAID HE FOUND OUT THAT THE FUELER WAS A TRAINEE; AND THAT WAS THE REASON FOR THE LAST MINUTE FUEL DENSITY CHANGE. HE SAID THERE SEEMED TO BE MORE ACFT ON THE TXWY WAITING FOR TKOF THAN USUAL SO THIS LED TO A LONGER TAXI TIME THAN EXPECTED. HE ALSO MENTIONED THAT HE THOUGHT ACARS WAS MORE INSTANTANEOUS THAN IT REALLY IS. HE NOW UNDERSTANDS THAT MESSAGES BACK AND FORTH GET HUNG UP IN CYBER SPACE. WHEN RLS 6 WAS COMING OVER THE PRINTER AND THEY HAD ACCEPTED IT; THEY WERE NUMBER 1 FOR TKOF AND WERE ROLLING BEFORE THEY GOT MY MESSAGE REGARDING DROPPING THE ALTERNATE OR GOING BACK FOR MORE FUEL. WE BOTH FEEL WE HAD A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF HOW WE BOTH FELT REGARDING THIS FLT AND KNEW WE HAD A SAFE FLT PLAN. WE ALSO BOTH AGREE THAT ONCE THEY WERE AT CRUISE WE SHOULD HAVE MADE CONTACT BY SATCOM AND AMENDED THE RLS TO RLS 7 REMOVING THE ALTERNATE.