Inspiration brought to you by the TM Planning Department

According to WSJ’s Scott McCartney, an average airline’s performance regarding miles per gallon beats that of a SUV, even a Prius, at 64mpg.  But that’s just per person.  So with an additional 150+ people, multiply that, and you get 9,600mpg for an average airplane.  While that number may seem big, it’s probably important to note that airlines on the whole are more fuel efficient than a decade ago.  So, what are the influencers?

• Faster speeds = more fuel
• Larger planes = more fuel
• Congested airport = waiting on the tarmac = more fuel
• Long international flights = jumbo jets that carry more fuel = more fuel
• Short puddle jumper flights = more fuel
• Older planes = older technology = more fuel

[Aside: currently the sweet fuel-efficient spot is the Boeing 737]

While airlines care about keeping jet fuel costs down (it’s their second largest expense after labor) , do people care about airline fuel efficiency?  As more reports come out and newer, more fuel efficient airplanes surface such as the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350, perhaps fliers will take note on how airlines are playing their eco-aware cards?  Or maybe they’ll only notice if the fuel savings translate to lower fares?