When drivers are looking to get more miles to the gallon, they tend to drive more slowly on the highway. The airlines figure it might work for them too. The Associated Pressreports that the major US carriers, desperate for any idea that will conserve fuel, are cutting flying speeds on some routes.
Jetblue claims that extending each of its flight by two minutes saved $13.6 million last year. Southwest Airlines, despite a fuel hedging program in place that leaves it in better shape than most of its competitors, will save $2 million a year by adding one to three minutes to each of its flights. Northwest Airlines estimates that an additional 4 minutes of flying time on its flights to and from Hawaiiwill save $600,000 annually on those flights alone. Breaking it down even more, cutting the speed on a Northwest Minneapolis to Paris flight from 542 mph to 532 mph adds 8 minutes in flying time but reduces fuel consumption by 162 gallons, saving the airline around $535.
It's unlikely that most passengers will notice the difference -- airlines usually pad their schedules by several minutes depending on the route, and what's three minutes of extra flying time when you're spending 45
minutes on the runway? Speaking of which, pilots on the
Airliners.net website say that planes use 500 gallons of fuel (more for larger jets) while taxiing, and a plane also burns through jet fuel sitting in line on the ground waiting to take off.
Slowing down flights is not a cure-all and in some cases could end up costing the airlines. One analyst points out that slowing down won't make that much of a difference if airlines end up paying more for labor and maintenance as a result of planes staying in the air longer.
Photo: Joi/Creative Commons 2.0
