B737-700
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 365
Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors; Procedure; Weather
Per Dispatch suggestion we were proceeding direct to ZZZ1 VOR before turning westbound for thunderstorm avoidance. Approximately abeam ZZZ2 and south of ZZZ3; ATC gave us a 90 degree vector to the east heading 145 degrees away from our destination of ZZZ. Our ground speed was 478 knots and we were left on that vector for about 15 minutes and east of ZZZ2 before turning us to the south. Eventually we were vectored toward ZZZ but not after burning an extra 2400 pounds of fuel. We were told it was a vector around saturated holding airspace. We were at FL 400 so I cannot understand how we could be a threat. I have never encountered such poor handling techniques from ATC. As we were leaving the frequency we heard other aircraft complaining about their fuel states. This event cost [the company] a few thousand dollars and put us 50 minutes behind from this single event. I predict that this was a junior ATC staffing problem and that they were just overwhelmed. Perhaps there could have been some senior Controller oversight to prevent such problems in the future.
B737 Captain reported poor ATC handling for weather and saturated airspace avoidance resulted in unnecessary time and fuel burning vectors.