B737 FLT CREW IS DISPATCHED WITH ESTIMATED LANDING FUEL OF 7.2K POUNDS. ENROUTE HOLDING AND ARRIVAL DELAYS CAUSE FLT CREW TO DECLARE EMERGENCY FUEL AND LANDING WITH 2.9K POUNDS.

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OUR FLT TO ZZZ WAS DISPATCHED WITH A RESERVE FUEL OF 3.6 AND A LNDG FUEL OF 7.2. FUEL BURN ENRTE WAS NORMAL. I THINK WE WERE 300 OR 400 LBS UNDER AT THE LAST RPTING POINT. WHILE STILL IN CTR AIRSPACE; WE WERE ASSIGNED HOLDING AT FL380. WHILE IN HOLDING WE STARTED CHKING WX FOR ALTERNATE ARPTS AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE DISPATCHER. WE WERE INFORMED THAT ZZZ HAD AN EMER ACFT THEY WERE WORKING. AT THAT POINT WE SELECTED A DIVERT ARPT IF NECESSARY. OUR DISPATCHER CONCURRED. LATER IN HOLDING; WE ASKED THE DISPATCHER ABOUT TFC DOWN-LINE BTWN US AND ZZZ. HE SAID IT LOOKED LIKE 2 OTHER FLTS WERE HOLDING AHEAD OF US. AFTER 2 OR 3 TURNS IN THE HOLDING PATTERN; WE WERE RELEASED. AT THAT POINT; THE WX AT ZZZ WAS CLR AND VISIBILITY WAS JUST BELOW 10 MI. IF I RECALL CORRECTLY; WE LEFT THE HOLDING PATTERN WITH 7.2 FUEL; AND THE FMS ESTIMATED LNDG WITH 4.2. INITIALLY; WE MADE GOOD PROGRESS. WE WERE ASKED TO INCREASE SPD AND GIVEN A DIRECT POINT THAT BYPASSED SEVERAL ON OUR RTE. WE CONTINUED TO CHK THE WX FOR POSSIBLE DIVERT FIELDS CLOSER TO ZZZ. ALL WERE VFR. AS WE FLEW THE ARR; WE WERE SLOWED TO 250 KTS AND DSNDED. THE FMS ESTIMATED LNDG FUEL SLOWLY DECREASED. WE WERE GIVEN A VECTOR AND I DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL. WE WERE CLRED BACK ON THE ARR. AT THAT POINT WE WERE STILL ESTIMATING TO LAND ABOVE 3.6. WE WERE RELATIVELY CLOSE IN ON THE ARR WHEN ATC BEGAN GIVING VECTORS AND SAID TO EXPECT HOLDING. I DECLARED EMER FUEL. NOT KNOWING WHAT WAS GOING ON AT ZZZ AT THAT POINT; I TOLD ATC WE WANTED TO GO TO ZZZ1. FROM OUR POS; THERE WAS ONLY 8 MI DIFFERENCE BTWN THE TWO. AFTER A MIN OR TWO; WE WERE CLRED DIRECT ZZZ. WE THEN WERE GIVEN VECTORS AND DSCNT INSTRUCTIONS AND A RWY ASSIGNMENT. AS WE QUICKLY SET UP FOR A NEW RWY AND RAN THE CHKLISTS; ATC ASKED US TO EXPEDITE THE DSCNT. I FOUND OUT LATER BY CALLING TRACON THAT THEY HAD A SLOT ON FINAL FOR US THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO MAKE THE DSCNT FOR. I SHOULD HAVE ASKED THEM WHAT THEY WERE PLANNING FOR US RIGHT AWAY; BUT WE WERE BUSY AND THEY DID NOT VOLUNTEER THAT INFO. THAT WOULD HAVE SAVED US A SEVERAL HUNDRED LBS OF FUEL. AS WE FLEW IN THE WX WAS CLR. IT WASN'T UNTIL WE WERE IN THE PATTERN THAT I SAW THAT THERE WAS JUST ENOUGH HAZE TO PREVENT VISUAL APCHS TO RWY XX AS WE LOOKED INTO THE SUN. WE LANDED ON RWY XX. I SAW 2.9 ON THE FMS AT LNDG. LOOKING BACK ON THIS EVENT; THE PROB FOR ME WAS TRYING TO GET A TRUE READ ON WHAT WAS GOING ON AT ZZZ. FROM MY POINT OF VIEW; THE WX WAS GOOD; AND TFC AHEAD OF US SEEMED NORMAL. WHAT I DIDN'T REALIZE WAS THAT THERE WAS JUST ENOUGH HAZE FOR THE RWY XX TO REQUIRE INST APCHS. IF WE HAD KNOWN THAT THE PACE OF OPS AT ZZZ WAS COMPROMISED BY THE VISIBILITY WE WOULD HAVE DIVERTED EARLY. WE ALSO COULD HAVE COMMUNICATED BETTER WITH APCH CTL. IF WE HAD KNOWN HOW QUICK THEY WOULD GET US IN; WE WOULD HAVE DSNDED MORE AGGRESSIVELY.