Late into the thread, apologies....

Flying from the NE to MEM and seeing the front before going to the plane, we entered a conversation with GOC and asked for an alternate. The dispatcher tried to give us LIT, which would have had us fly through the threatening front (simple solution for him trumped reality, I guess). We got an alternate that opened our options window wider than the typical "one approach to a full stop" logic mandated by Fuel Sense. We landed at the end of the "weather window" that slammed MEM early in July and caused 71 diverts. Logged 2 hours of block time in MEM with the engines shut down and brakes set....

I have been told by a GOC acquaintance that two days after the event, some VERY SENIOR management paid a visit to GOC and attempted to reacquaint Dispatch and Weather supervisors with the concept that Fuel Sense is fine in clear and a million, but the realities of weather patterns trump Fuel Sense every time. Since the meeting was held in a conference room rather than a sealed room, much of the "conversation" was able to be heard. My source told me that the supervisors were told that the night in question had caused more expenses than all of the fuel saved since the beginning of Fuel Sense.

A week or two after the 71 divert night, another weather pattern with similar characteristics was out there. Again flying from the NE into MEM, when our flight plan dropped, we had over an hour of extra fuel on board due to "Weather considerations." The message had gotten through! The weather didn't develop with the extreme nature of the 71 divert night, but many flights were being sent via various creative routes to avoid the weather. Got to MEM a bit later than scheduled, but got there and was comfortable with the extra fuel pad.

Another point that I saw in the thread was a concept of "We are the crew, in the fight and you are sitting at a desk" argument. Back in the day, the Capt was king and fuel uplifts required notifying GOC of the uplift amount. With Flag status, we are now "co-dispatched" which requires that GOC and the Capt consult on planned changes. Yes, the Capt is still the king of the flight and doesn't have to turn a wheel if not comfortable, but GOC must be included in the decision process now.