Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Other / Unknown; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure
I arrived at Polar to relieve a Controller and found out that we were holding aircraft for ORD. After getting the briefing and finding out that ZAU only had two of the three sectors open that they could have open I questioned my Supervisor and TMU Manager about us holding airplanes 300 miles from ORD when ZAU had an unopened sector 200 miles closer to ORD that could be used for holding. We had one aircraft divert to their alternate airport because of fuel. In the past we have asked for assistance from the Command Center with saturated sectors and we were told that; 'Unless you have all your sectors open; you do not need any assistance.' Have ZAU open all their sectors and hold these aircraft closer to their destination so aircraft don't have to divert to their alternates.
ZMP Controller described a holding event for ORD claiming that holding in ZAU's airspace much closer to ORD was more reasonable.