A330 CAPTAIN PROVIDES EXAMPLE OF WHY HE FEELS HIS AIRLINE HAS OVEREMPHASIZED FUEL SAVINGS AT THE EXPENSE OF CONSERVATIVE FLT PLANNING.

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RELEASE SHOWED FLT ARRIVING WITH 15000 LBS OF FUEL. I TOLD DISPATCH I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE ARRIVING WITH SO LITTLE FUEL. I ASKED WHAT ARR WX WOULD BE. HE SAID CLR AND 87 DEGS. I MADE A COMMENT ABOUT THE FORECAST FOR ZZZ1 SHOWING SOME CLOUD COVER. DISPATCH DID NOT CHANGE HIS FORECAST. THE FORECAST IN OUR PAPERWORK DID NOT START UNTIL WELL PAST OUR SCHEDULED ARR TIME. I ASKED FOR 1000 LBS ADDITIONAL FUEL. WX ON ATIS AT OUR ARR WAS 'FEW 065; SCATTERED 150; BROKEN 220.' RELEASE PREDICTED THAT WE WOULD BURN 1200 LBS OF FUEL BTWN ZZZZZ AND TOUCHDOWN USING THE ARR RTE. APCH ACTUALLY TURNED US N WELL SHORT OF THE VOR (MAYBE 10 NM SHORT). WE WERE GIVEN SOME VECTORS BUT WE ESSENTIALLY WERE ON A BASE LEG AND TURNED FINAL INSIDE 10 NM. THIS WAS BY FAR THE SHORTEST APCH I HAVE HAD INTO ZZZ SINCE IT WAS MADE A HUB. WE BURNED 2000 LBS OF FUEL BTWN ZZZZZ AND TOUCHDOWN. RELEASE SHOWED ZZZ1 AS OUR ALTERNATE AND DIVERTING WOULD TAKE 2756 LBS OF FUEL AND 15 MINS. IT ALSO SHOWED THAT WE WOULD CLB TO FL180. AND WE WOULD DO ALL THIS IN THE 40 NM BTWN ZZZ AND ZZZ1. I LOOKED AT THE RELEASE AND SAW SOME FIGURES THAT I QUESTIONED AND VERIFIED THE INACCURACY OF THE FIGURES DURING THE FLT. I MUST ADMIT THAT I DID NOT NOTICE THE PLANNED CLB TO FL180 FOR THE FLT TO THE ALTERNATE UNTIL WE WERE ENRTE. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON SAVING FUEL THAT PERSONNEL ARE NOT CHKING QUESTIONABLE FUEL BURNS. PLTS AND DISPATCHERS SHOULD TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT QUESTIONABLE FUEL BURNS IN THE FLT RELEASE.