http://www.37000feet.com/report/737041
Ran across this NASA ASRS report and a few thoughts came to mind:
1) In day-to-day practical operations, is this something that pilots are finding increasingly becoming an issue?
or
2)Is this a rare (perhaps isolated) incident where the CA is being a little over-protective (if there is such a thing)? Or where the dispatcher made a minor error in judgment - in which case would this really warrant an ASRS report rather than an internal report?
The industry is a business, and therefore it's understandable that fuel conservation is a major factor in maximizing potential profitability. I have a hard time believing that an airline would deliberately cut things so close as to put any flight in reasonable danger. Admittedly, I may be a little naive.