CAPTAIN OF MEDIUM LARGE JET TRANSPORT BELIEVES DISPATCH FAILS TO CONSIDER ALL POTENTIAL CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN CALCULATING FUEL LOADS.

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FLIGHT TO CYVR WAS PLANNED BY THE DISPATCHER TO LAND WITH 4.4K FUEL. THE FLIGHT WAS PLANNED THE WHOLE WAY AT FL380 WITH A CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE (CAT BOX) AROUND THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FOR LIGHT TO MODERATE TURBULENCE. I ADDED 1.6K OF FUEL BECAUSE OF THE LENGTH OF THE FLIGHT; THE POSSIBILITY OF GOING TO A LOWER ALTITUDE FOR A SAFER RIDE; THE POSSIBILITY OF A WIND BUST; THE FACT THAT THE STAR INTO YVR IS LENGTHY; AND THE FACT THE ZZZ DEPARTURE OFTEN HOLDS US AT A LOWER ALTITUDE FOR A LONG TIME. AS THE FLIGHT PROGRESSED; MANY OF THE THINGS I HAD WORRIED ABOUT WHEN I ADDED FUEL CAME TO PASS. WE WERE HELD DOWN AT 5000 FT BY ZZZ DEPARTURE FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES. WE ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE THAT REQUIRED US TO DESCEND TO FL320 FOR A LARGE PORTION OF THE FLIGHT. THE WINDS WERE STRONGER THAN FORECAST. WE DIDN'T HAVE TO FLY THE FULL STAR INTO CYVR; BUT EVEN WITH THAT; WE LANDED WITH ONLY ABOUT 4.8K POUNDS OF FUEL. WE HAD FLOWN AT A COST INDEX OF '9' THE WHOLE WAY. IF I HAD USED THE DISPATCHER'S PLANNED FUEL LOAD; WE WOULD HAVE LANDED WITH A FUEL LOAD OF ABOUT 3.2K POUNDS. THIS WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A MINIMUM FUEL DECLARATION; AND ONE MISSED APPROACH WOULD HAVE CAUSED AN EMERGENCY FUEL DECLARATION. AND ALL OF THIS WAS ON A PERFECT VFR DAY WITH VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC. FUEL LOADS LIKE THIS THAT ARE TOTALLY UNREALISTIC ARE ALL TOO OFTEN BECOMING THE NORM IN OUR FLIGHT PLANNING.