EMERGENCY DECLARED ACCOUNT LOW FUEL ON DIVERSION TO ALTERNATE.

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JUST PRIOR TO REACHING WOODSTOWN VOR; PHL WX DROPPED BELOW LNDG MINIMUMS AND APCH CTL ISSUED A HOLDING CLRNC. WHILE HOLDING I CONTACTED DISPATCH AND ASKED IF I SHOULD USE SYR AS ALTERNATE AS PLANNED OR POSSIBLE EWR OR BWI AS ONLY 6 OF 147 PAX WERE BOOKED TO ROC; THE NEXT LEG OF THIS FLT. WAS TOLD BY DISPATCH TO USE ROC AS ALTERNATE. SHOULD HAVE ASKED DISPATCH FOR NEW FUEL TO ALTERNATE; BUT DIDN'T AND NONE WAS GIVEN. DISPATCH RELEASE SHOWED MISSED AND ALTERNATE FUEL TO SYR AS 6700 LBS AND 45 MINS RESERVE AS 6800#. DEPARTED OOD VOR FOR ROC WITH 14000#. ROC IS A LITTLE FARTHER FROM PHL THAN SYR; BUT AS I DIDN'T MAKE A MISSED APCH; I SHOULD HAVE HAD ADEQUATE FUEL TO REACH ROC ACCORDING TO DISPATCH RELEASE. HOWEVER THE ROUTING TO ROC WAS NOT DIR AND I DID NOT GET A HIGH FUEL EFFICIENT ALT. THIS WAS DUE TO HEAVY E-W TFC IN AND OUT OF THE NYC-BOS AREA. AFTER RECEIVING VECTORS OFF COURSE TO THE W; FUEL DOWN TO 9000 LBS; ON A COURSE ALMOST 90 DEGS FROM THE DIRECTION I WANTED TO BE GOING AND STILL OVER PA; I DECLARED AN EMER DUE TO LOW FUEL AND ASKED FOR VECTORS DIR TO ROC. LANDED IN ROC WITH 4100# OF FUEL; ABOUT 25 MINS REMAINING AT THE MOST. 2 DAYS LATER ON A DIFFERENT FLT UNDER SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCE WHILE HOLDING AT OOD VOR; ALTERNATE WAS CHANGED BY DISPATCH TO SYR AND I ASKED FOR NEW FUEL TO ALTERNATE AND WAS TOLD 9000 LBS. IN THIS CASE THOUGH WE WERE ABLE TO LAND AT PHL. IN THE FUTURE I INTEND TO BE MORE DILIGENT IN CHKING ALTERNATE AND RESERVE FUEL AS WELL AS FUEL TO DEST.