KLM pilot

Hi all,

Have a question: having flown in the states for a 121 carrier and then later on for a European carrier.

Is it legal in the US to land at your planned destination with less than alternate+final reserve fuel but more than final reserve?

I was always under the impression that it was not. In the EU, once inflight, it doesn't matter as long as you land anywhere with equal or more than final reserve.

For example, reaching your destination and there is an unforeseen delay(runway change, TS or whatever). In the EU(I'm sorry, I should say at my airline) it is common practice to at that point make a decision to either divert or wait(fully allowed under JAA rules). Accepting that if you wait you won't have enough fuel to divert anymore.

Without going into all the possible scenario's and discussions that can arise, under JAA rules, the fuel requirments are applicable in the dispatch fase only. Once you depart they don't apply anymore. I was under the impression that under FAA rules they applied inflight as well.

I guess I'm trying to figure out if I always misinterpreted the FAA rules or if there is a difference between the two.

Could somebody enlighten me?

Many thanks