Date: 201406
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Weather elements / visibility: Thunderstorm
Aircraft: B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Cruise
Airspace: Class A ZZZ; Class D ZZZ; Class E ZZZ
ATC / advisory: Center ZZZ; TRACON ZZZ; Tower ZZZ
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: First Officer; Pilot Flying
Second reporter function: Captain; Pilot Not Flying
Anomaly: Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Diverted; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; General Declared Emergency
Contributing factors: Weather
Primary problem: Weather

Narrative: Enroute approximately 45 minutes prior to arrival; ATC re-cleared us [to avoid weather].  We loaded the FMC and saw that this re-routed us nearly 150 miles to the east of destination.  When queried; ATC advised us it was due to weather moving into the area that was going to shut down the northern arrivals corridor.  At this point; there was a large area of intense convective activity to our north; which we had flown around.  Shortly after; ATC advised us to hold with an EFC of approximately 30 minutes.  At this point; the Captain and I discussed our fuel status and agreed that we could only hold for about 15 minutes.  We advised Dispatch via ACARS of our hold clearance.  Entering the hold; ATC advised us that all arrivals and departures had completely shut down due to thunderstorms over the airport; and we could expect one hour or more of holding.  At this point Captain and I agreed that we needed to immediately plan for a diversion to an alternate.  However; contacting Dispatch (both by ACARS and Radio) was extremely challenging at this point due to radio congestion (including a medical emergency on another flight) and several other diversions that Dispatch was handling.  We considered alternates in the area; however upon examination of the charts on the aircraft; we discovered that some charts were not aboard the airport (probably because those airports are not served by the 757).  The only charts in the flight bag and in the FMS database were ZZZ1; so we elected to divert there.  We advised ATC; headed toward ZZZ1; and advised Dispatch via ACARS.  Shortly thereafter; Dispatch advised that they did not recommend ZZZ1 as an alternate and recommended the airports we rejected.  We replied that we did not have those charts on board and continued toward ZZZ1.  Dispatch then replied that ZZZ1 Operations did not have the necessary equipment to handle a 757.  At this point; we reevaluated our deteriorating fuel situation (we were now at approximately 8;000 LBS of fuel) and decided an immediate decision had to be made.  We advised ATC and they said that destination arrivals might be able to accommodate us; so we reversed course back towards the northeast. At this point it became clear to us that our Dispatcher was obviously not recognizing our critical fuel situation; since they asked us if we could make [distant alternates].  We replied that was impossible; as we would have to circumnavigate the weather again and we didn't have enough fuel for that. ATC then advised us that our destination was experiencing a severe thunderstorm and that all aircraft were going around or diverting; and we knew we did not have enough fuel to make an approach and then go around.  After further discussion with ATC; the Captain and I realized that we needed to divert into ZZZ since its runway was approximately 6;600 feet.  We knew this aircraft had the capability to safely land and depart a runway of that length. The Captain declared a fuel emergency with ATC.  ATC was very helpful; vectoring us directly to ZZZ and even providing the necessary runway data; ILS frequency (even though it was VMC).  We landed at ZZZ without incident. Now we had to decide what to do to get to destination.  We knew that the Captain's emergency authority allowed us to land at ZZZ; even though the 757 Ops Specs did not list it as an approved airport.  But what about the departure?  The ground personnel at ZZZ were very helpful at getting fuel for us and assisting us in every way; and the Captain coordinated with Chief Dispatcher.  They were able to get performance data for takeoff from company engineers; put together a Sabre flight plan on the fly; and even contact the FAA to obtain an exemption for us to depart ZZZ with passengers instead of subjecting them to the inconvenience of being bussed to destination.  Meanwhile; the station personnel coordinated re-fueling and printing out the necessary flight paperwork since our ACARS had no comm on the ground there.  It took just over 2 hours; but we were finally able to get the necessary permission; flight plans; and takeoff data.  We departed ZZZ without incident; and landed about 30 minutes later.


Second narrative: Our flight was scheduled for operation with a comfortable fuel load taking into consideration both the existing and forecasted weather conditions. During the entire route; we were ahead of the planned fuel usage. However; we were rerouted the first time approximately 350 miles west of destination. This re-route utilized both extra time and fuel but still had us in good condition as far as a remaining fuel allotment. Dispatch was contacted regarding this issue.Approximately 16 minutes later; we received the 2nd re-route; again; using additional fuel and time. This re-route guided the aircraft to the southeast and then back west to put us in a trail of traffic. Just prior to arriving at the fix; ATC placed us in a hold over the fix with an EFC adding an additional 20 to 25 minutes to the flight. After approximately 20 minutes of holding; ATC came over the frequency and advised us that Approach had stopped all approaches and arrivals for at least an hour. At this time; I contacted Dispatch again on holding and asked for an alternate. At this point; I started to pull out the charts that would be a suitable alternate; i.e.; blue airports on the CRT screen.[After beginning our diversion]; ATC informed us that our destination may be opening up and were we interested in that route. I replied; 'Yes; if we are able to go straight to the airport with NO additional delays.' Throughout the flight; I kept everyone abreast of the situation including my flight crew; passengers; and especially Dispatch. Dispatch was extremely slow in responding throughout this entire process. About 5 minutes later; we were advised by ATC that they could not promise that there would not be additional delays for our arrival.During the process; I contacted ZZZ Tower and received frequencies that were needed as well as the runway length because at this point; I had a clear visual of the airport. I was very familiar with ZZZ and its option as a safe alternate. I immediately declared an emergency and proceeded to conduct an uneventful and safe landing. Prior to landing; I had again kept all parties aware that we had exhausted all viable options for landing at destination. We landed safely in ZZZ with 5;800 lbs. of fuel. On the ground; ground staff did an exemplary job of meeting our needs under this unusual situation. I called Dispatch by cell phone to arrange the process of departing ZZZ since we did not have plates for this location. Again; Company Dispatch seemed overwhelmed and out of touch as far as getting us usable information. About an hour later; I received a call on my cell phone from Dispatch. Their option was to bus the passengers. This was a decision that I did not agree would be in their best interest but I notified the passengers and flight attendants of the news. The ZZZ ground staff finally brought a set of air stairs that was about 3 feet short of our cabin door. I informed them that this would not be a safe or practical option for disembarking the passengers. I asked Dispatch for their assistance in working the numbers and faxing everything we would need for a legal departure. Again; Dispatch seemed disconnected with making this work. I expressed my confidence that we could take off out of ZZZ for a 30 minute flight safely. His response was; 'Oh; really?' At this point I asked him to have the Chief Dispatch Officer on duty call me immediately. The Chief Dispatcher called me and apologized for the performance from his department. He stated that they were dealing with around 20 diversions but his attention would be on my situation. I suggested that we get the engineering department involved to get the take-off data and flight plan needed as well as a waiver from the FAA if required. Within 1 hour we had fuel; all data required and the waiver from the FAA. We departed ZZZ and arrived safely with everyone on board.


Synopsis: B757 flight crew describes a weather diversion after being re-routed then asked to hold beyond their prudent limit of endurance. The airport chosen is not a normal diversion airport and is not in the FMC database nor are there any approach charts. VMC prevails and a safe landing ensues with 5;800 LBS of fuel on board.