Airlines reduce payload to save on fuel

Airlines lighten their loads in areas of catering to save on jet fuel

Travel Insurance News - 19/08/2008

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Some airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are reducing the weight of some of its catering items in order to reduce its payload and thus save on its fuel consumption.

British Airways is to reduce the weight of its passenger meals and introduce new lightweight trolleys. It is also considering scrapping all cabin crew paperwork in efforts to reduce the aircraft weight.

Virgin Atlantic is also looking at measures to reduce weight and will be cutting down on packaging of passenger meals and in the future will be looking for a package less meal.

Other airlines are also looking at reducing their payload and this includes one airline reducing the weight of its porcelain for their First Class passengers and slimming down its cutlery.

British Airways said” Airlines have to look at everything, we have already reduced the amount of portable water we have onboard and we are looking at some point in making our In Flight magazines electronic”.

On a typical flight catering equipment and food can weigh about six tons and British Airways alone will spend more than £8 million on fuel a day that equates to be over £3 billion per year.

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