US flights to fly slower to save fuel
03.05.08
Airlines from the US have ordered their pilots to slow down to reduce fuel consumption, the Daily Mail reports. The airlines say the move will add just a few minutes to journey times, but save millions of pounds in fuel costs. However, the strategy will not be adopted by British airline,s as British Airways and Virgin told the newspaper that they have already introduced fuel-saving measures that they believe are more efficient than slowing down planes.
The price of jet fuel has risen by more than 70% in the past year. US airlines say that their strategy of reducing speed saves fuel in certain speed ranges, and they are introducing slower cruising speeds on domestic and long-haul routes - including flights to the UK and Europe.
Northwest Airlines, which is in merger talks with Delta to become the world's biggest airline, told the newspaper that a flight saved 162 gallons of fuel on a Paris to Minneapolis flight this week when the pilot cut his average speed from 542mph to 532mph. The speed reduction added 8 minutes to the flight time but saved the airline nearly £300.
Northwest predicts that by slowing down slightly they will save £300,000 this year on one route - between Los Angeles and Hawaii. Fellow US airline Southwest estimates it will save £21m this year by adding 1 to 3 minutes to each flight and budget airline jetBlue said it would save nearly £8m.
However British airlines - along with United from the US - are taking a different approach. BA and United have installed flight-planning software that shows pilots the best altitude and speed to allow optimum use of fuel, the Mail reports. United believe that this will save them £10m a year. BA has also ordered its pilots to use just one engine while taxiing around airports. A BA spokesman told the newspaper: 'We don't believe a short-term, knee-jerk response like [slowing down] is the answer.'
Virgin are taking a different approach too. The airline is concentrating on reducing the weight of planes by using light carbon-fibre fittings. A spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘We believe our fuel-saving measures are better than those adopted by the Americans. We will save many millions of pounds more with our weight watchers programme than the Americans can save by slowing down.' US airlines are struggling with older, less efficient fleets than British companies, he added.
Both BA and Virgin also try to use 'continuous descent' when landing, so planes glide smoothly down. The alternative is to descend in steps, a process which uses a lot of fuel but is sometimes essential at busy airports.
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