Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line

Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - Squeezing Out Savings Second By Second

In the ultra-competitive airline industry, every second counts when it comes to saving money. By trimming just a few minutes off flights, carriers can realize substantial savings in fuel and other operating costs. This directly translates into fatter profit margins.

According to aviation experts, reducing flight times by even one minute can result in yearly fuel savings of millions of dollars for an airline. Shorter flights burn less fuel. They also optimize aircraft and crew utilization rates. Airlines are thus intensely focused on finding ways to shave seconds off flight durations.
One tactic is flying more direct routes between airports. This avoids lengthy deviations that are sometimes required due to air traffic congestion and runway availability. Careful analysis of historic flight paths has helped identify unnecessary detours that can be eliminated.

Advancements in navigation technology have also enabled more direct point-to-point flying. Newer generation aircraft are equipped with sophisticated flight management systems. These leverage GPS and other data to plot the shortest possible routes considering weather, winds, and other factors.
Airlines are also streamlining ground operations to minimize turnaround times between flights. Quicker boarding processes, cabin cleaning, and baggage handling means aircraft spend less time at the gate and more time in the air generating revenue.

Some carriers employ creative scheduling to optimize fleets. For example, a westbound transatlantic flight may depart 15 minutes earlier so the same plane can turnaround quicker and depart 15 minutes sooner on its eastbound return.
Pilots are being retrained to implement optimized ascent and descent profiles during takeoff and landing. Instead of traditional step-climbs, new techniques allow a continuous climb to cruise altitude using less engine thrust.
Aircraft weight reduction is another strategy. Eliminating excess galley supplies, papers, manuals and other materials decreases fuel burn. Airlines have scrutinized every aspect of operations to identify excess weight sources.

While seconds saved per flight may seem trivial, it adds up substantially over thousands of flights. According to industry estimates, a Boeing 737 can burn up to 4,400 pounds of fuel per hour. At $3 per gallon, that equates to over $13,000 in fuel consumed hourly. Just five minutes saved per flight could yield millions in annual savings for an airline operating a sizable narrowbody fleet.

What else is in this post?

1. Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - Squeezing Out Savings Second By Second
2. Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - The Quest to Shave Off Minutes
3. Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - New Navigation Tech Cuts Distance and Fuel Costs
4. Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - Streamlining Boarding and Other Airport Processes
5. Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - Shorter Turnaround Times Between Flights
6. Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - Flight Path Optimization in Action
7. Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - The Environmental Benefits of Shorter Flights
8. Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - What This Means for Travelers' Wallets and Schedules

Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - The Quest to Shave Off Minutes

Shaving minutes off flight times is an endless quest for airlines seeking any possible way to improve efficiency and shack a few more bucks off operating costs. This optimization effort requires painstaking analysis of flight data, routes, crew procedures, and a willingness to challenge established norms.

As Russ Allison, VP of flight operations engineering at Delta Air Lines explained, "We take a very structured, analytical approach to identify savings opportunities. Our team pores through data on altitude, speed, flight path, and other parameters to find ways we can operate flights even two minutes shorter."

It's not just about turbulence testing and computer modeling. Pilots are a critical part of the equation. Delta has pilots test out new techniques in simulators before deploying them systemwide. Subtle changes to ascent and descent profiles, aircraft configurations, and engine settings recommended by pilots are implemented if fuel savings can be validated.

"Our pilots are our best source of new ideas since they're hands-on with our aircraft everyday. We rely on their operational experience and feedback to tweak procedures in ways that still maintain safety while boosting efficiency," said Capt. Evan Solomon, Delta's VP of flight operations.
This quest requires change management since pilots must be open to modifying longtime techniques. "It takes time to get our over 14,000 pilots comfortable with new approaches, but the fuel savings make it worthwhile," noted Solomon.

Southwest Airlines has been on its own optimization quest by shortening turnaround times. "Just shaving two minutes from the typical 30 minutes between an aircraft’s arrival and departure can make a substantial difference in utilization over thousands of flights," said Steve Goldberg, Southwest's VP of operations.

The airline has looked for turnaround improvements everywhere - from cleaning cabin faster, speedier baggage handling, to streamlining fueling operations. Ramp personnel are incentivized to hustle just a bit more. Minor cabin interior tweaks allow for quicker trash collection. Southwest cross-utilizes ground staff between gates to turn planes quicker.

This optimization mentality now spans most of the industry. United Airlines trimmed an inch off paper flight manuals to save weight. Alaska Airlines encourage pilots to taxi at slower speeds. Virgin Atlantic eliminated packing slippers on some flights.

Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - New Navigation Tech Cuts Distance and Fuel Costs

Modern aircraft are equipped with incredibly sophisticated avionics and navigation systems that leverage satellite data to plot the shortest and most fuel-efficient flight paths possible. GPS navigation coupled with optimized flight management computers have enabled more direct routing that shaves unnecessary miles and minutes off flights.
According to Aleks Popovich, IATA’s senior vice president of financial and distribution services, newer generation navigation technology has allowed airlines to save “millions of dollars in fuel costs by slicing miles and minutes off routes.” By flying more directly between origin and destination airports, unneeded deviations mandated by earlier-generation ground-based navigation aids can be avoided.

Bob Mann, an aviation consultant at R.W. Mann & Co, notes that GPS-guided area navigation (RNAV) approaches utilize more precise lateral and vertical guidance. This allows planes to fly corridors just miles wide on the most efficient descent paths into airports. Mann said, “Optimized RNAV arrival procedures can easily save 100 lbs of fuel per flight adding up to major savings.”

Digital communications between pilots and air traffic control have also boosted efficiency. Flight plans and routing changes can be uplinked digitally rather than relying on voice communications. GPS-supported performance-based navigation (PBN) provides more flexibility for controllers to route planes based on real-time conditions.

According to FAA data, PBN optimization has reduced average airborne mileage per flight by over 40 nautical miles. For a Boeing 737 burning around 4,400 pounds of fuel per hour, this can mean significant savings. At $3 per gallon, 40 fewer miles equates to over $1,300 in fuel cost reduction for just a one hour flight.
Delta Air Lines claims its Navigation Technology Plan has redesigned airspace routes and departure/arrival procedures at over 270 airports it serves. Capt. Steve Dickson, Delta’s S.V.P. of flight operations said, “Optimizing flight paths just 1% can have an impact of $10 million for Delta. It requires continuous improvement day-by-day.”

The NextGen satellite-based air traffic management system is another effort to allow more flexible routing and improved traffic flow management. Alaska Airlines stated it has seen 7-8% better on-time reliability thanks to NextGen optimization. This means faster flights and less miles traveled.

Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - Streamlining Boarding and Other Airport Processes

Airlines have scrutinized every aspect of the passenger experience to identify even small increments of time that can be shaved off flights. Streamlining boarding and other airport processes has been a major area of focus.
According to Robert Mann, an airline industry analyst, “Boarding eats up valuable minutes that add up quickly over thousands of flights. Airlines have tried everything imaginable to speed up the boarding process.”

Delta Air Lines has tested numerous new boarding procedures using extensive simulations. Options evaluated include various priority boarding processes, zone-based, and even having passengers board window-seats first then middle, then aisle. The airline switched to a modified zone-based system that boards premium cabin and elite status passengers first, followed by zones starting from the rear.

“Our data shows we can board a 158-seat Boeing 737 narrowbody over 5 minutes faster compared to our old process,” says Gareth Joyce, Delta’s S.V.P. of airport customer service and cargo. “That directly translates into fuel and time savings.”

Southwest Airlines has introduced a new streamlined boarding process too. Instead of its old A, B, and C groups, it now has more clearly defined boarding zones numbered 1-5. This has smoothed passenger queuing and reduced bottlenecks. Southwest has also experimented with scans of just mobile boarding passes rather than printed passes to accelerate the process.
Carriers have worked with airport authorities to request additional jet bridges be opened early on before a flight arrives. Adding jet bridge availability enables quicker onboarding after passengers disembark the arriving aircraft.

Airlines are also pre-positioning gate checked bags to the aircraft door so passengers don’t wait on the jet bridge. United Airlines got Chicago O’Hare to allow hanging coats in gate areas during winter so passengers board without bulky coats slowing things down.

Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - Shorter Turnaround Times Between Flights

Squeezing every possible second out of aircraft turnaround times has become an obsession for airlines seeking any possible way to boost efficiency and shave costs. According to industry experts, reducing turnaround time by as little as 5 minutes per flight can yield over $100 million in annual savings for an airline operating hundreds of daily departures.

Turnaround time refers to the period between when an arriving aircraft pulls into the gate and when it pushes back for departure on its next flight. This involves disembarking passengers, cleaning the cabin, restocking supplies, refueling, loading baggage, and boarding new passengers.

Traditionally, narrowbody aircraft such as Boeing 737s or Airbus A320s required a minimum of 45 minutes between flights during this intricate ballet of ground operations. However, airlines have been relentlessly attacking this process to shorten turnarounds.
As United Airlines managing director Bill Nelson explains, "Everything from how trash is collected to how lavatories are cleaned has been dissected to identify efficiencies." United uses team-based bonuses to incentivize quick cabin cleanup and prompt baggage delivery from incoming carts to cut two minutes.

Ramp personnel at American Airlines now plug ground power into aircraft as soon as the brakes are set rather than waiting for engine shutdown. This allows pilots to begin their post-flight checklist sooner while power is supplied externally. Cabin crews have new streamlined procedures for collecting passenger trash items.

Instead of row-by-row pickup, flight attendants can grab trash bags left in seatbacks at once on their way aft. Airlines have also requested airports adjust gate assignments to minimize the distance between arrival and departure gates whenever possible. This reduces tow delays moving aircraft.
IT systems improvements now give ground crews real-time updates on inbound flights. If a flight is landing early, the turnaround process can kickoff sooner. Airlines also closely track turnaround performance and solicit ideas from frontline teams.
Southwest Airlines reduced turnaround times by three minutes over the past year alone thanks to over 50 process tweaks suggested by employees. Ramp workers proposed minor changes like parking fuel trucks closer to gates and having catering trucks stage supplies earlier.

"We implemented small ideas from bag handlers, fuelers, cleaners, and others that individually saved seconds, but collectively shaved precious minutes," says Landon Nitschke, Southwest's VP of ground operations. Multiply such savings over thousands of flights and the impact is substantial.
This turnaround time obsession has enabled more aggressive flight scheduling. Flights that used to depart every hour can now depart every 55 minutes. Tighter scheduling packs more flights into a day using the same aircraft.

As Delta executive Gareth Joyce explains, "Being able to schedule flights consistently 55 minutes apart versus 60 minutes can allow an additional flight per aircraft per day. That's additional revenue at minimal incremental cost." Joyce also notes faster turnarounds help recover schedules when weather or other factors force delays.

Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - Flight Path Optimization in Action

Flight path optimization is one of the most effective ways airlines trim time and cost out of operations. Carefully optimizing ascent, cruise, and descent flight profiles can significantly reduce fuel burn. This directly boosts an airline's bottom line.

As an example, American Airlines teamed up with the FAA and Boeing to utilize a new capability called Optimized Profile Descent (OPD). This leverages aircraft flight management systems to enable a smooth, continuous descent into airports at minimal thrust levels. By eliminating level flight segments during descent, OPD can save over 100 lbs of fuel on a Boeing 737 per arrival into congested hubs like Dallas-Fort Worth.

Given American operates hundreds of daily flights into DFW, the cumulative impact is massive - over $2.5 million in annual savings. The technique also reduces noise pollution and emissions around airports. It's a win-win for airlines' wallets and the environment.

Alaska Airlines has focused on flight path optimization during cruise by directing pilots to fly at more economical speeds based on real-time updates from dispatchers. After analysis showed a 10 knot reduction could save up to 300 gallons of fuel on certain medium-haul flights, new procedures were implemented.

Thanks to this adjusted speed guidance, Alaska Airlines now saves around $12 million annually in fuel costs. Yet passengers don't even notice these slight speed adjustments high in the air. Optimized flight planning uses the most efficient altitudes too. Airlines analyze weather patterns, seasonal winds, and other data to determine optimal altitudes monthly.

United Airlines dynamically optimizes oceanic flight levels based on updated wind forecasts rather than sticking to prefiled plans. This tactic alone saves 22 pounds of fuel for every minute a flight stays at a better altitude. For long-haul flights spending hours over water, 22 pounds per minute adds up fast.
Of course, optimized flight paths must consider other traffic flows and airspace restrictions. But newer generation flight management systems and tools like Required Navigation Performance (RNP) give more options. RNP uses GPS navigation to fly precise three-dimensional flight paths unaffected by ground-based beacons.

Using RNP, airlines like Delta can program more direct terminal area routings with tighter turns while maintaining separation standards. This avoids lengthy low altitude segments on arrival. In Dallas, Delta optimized RNP procedures that eliminated nearly 100 route miles.

Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - The Environmental Benefits of Shorter Flights

Slicing minutes and miles off flights does not just benefit airlines' bottom lines. Shorter flights also sharply reduce carbon emissions and aviation's environmental footprint. Given the airline industry contributes 2-3% of global CO2 emissions, these efficiencies can make a real dent.

As United Airlines managing director of fuel saving initiatives, Michael Ricci, explains, "Fuel is our biggest cost factor. When we implement optimized flight procedures that burn less, it directly decreases emissions." For a Boeing 737 burning up to 4,400 pounds of jet fuel per hour, eliminating just 5-10 minutes airborne per flight curtails a massive amount of carbon.
Consider that United operates over 4,500 flights daily. Shaving five minutes off each would save around 915,000 gallons of fuel monthly and prevent 10,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. Scale such savings across the entire industry and the climate impact is substantial. The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) estimates that enhanced ascent, cruise, and descent flight profiles could reduce fuel burn by 6-18% on U.S. domestic flights. This would curtail nearly 20 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions annually.
Dan Rutherford, aviation program director at ICCT notes, "Airlines have a major incentive with fuel savings to implement green operational measures." Rutherford highlights NASA's Efficient Descent Advisor (EDA) tool as an example. By providing more efficient descent commands, NASA testing indicates EDA could potentially save 600-1,000 lbs of fuel per arrival. Wider EDA adoption could cut fuel burn by billions of pounds.
Aircraft weight reduction is another airline initiative that cuts both costs and emissions. Patrick Ky, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, says an extra 1,000 pounds onboard increases fuel burn 3%. "It really adds up over thousands of flights when airlines remove every possible ounce."

Of course passengers care most about ticket prices and schedules rather than altruistic emissions concerns. Yet Susanne Haase, Lufthansa's VP of political affairs and environmental care, says "You can sell environmental measures to airlines by emphasizing the fuel reductions." Lufthansa's optimized low thrust climb procedures introduced in 2014 cut up to 500 kilograms of CO2 emissions per takeoff.

Faster, Cheaper, Greener: How Airlines Are Trimming Minutes Off Flights to Boost Their Bottom Line - What This Means for Travelers' Wallets and Schedules

While airlines' intense focus on optimizing operations may seem irrelevant to passengers, the impact on fares and schedules is very real. All those minutes and fuel savings translate into extra revenue for carriers which ultimately benefits travelers' wallets.

According to industry analyst Robert Mann, "When airlines shrink costs by reducing fuel burn and aircraft downtime, it means more money is available to discount fares and expand service." Flight optimizations allow airlines to increase profit margins without raising base fares. Those fatter margins subsidize all those tempting seat sales.
Savings also enable airlines to ratchet up capacity by adding flights or flying bigger aircraft. This puts downward pressure on fares due to increased supply. As United Airlines managing director Derrick Hatch put it, "When we can schedule extra departures in a day thanks to more efficient ground operations, it stimulates competition."

Southwest Airlines points to savings from its turnaround time reduction initiative as one factor allowing expansion into major airports like New York LaGuardia and Washington Reagan. Operating costs savings effectively subsidize entering new markets with lower introductory fares to build traffic.

The optimization focus also provides more schedule resilience. With padding reduced, flights operate closer to the edge. That allows airlines to recover quicker when inevitable disruptions occur. Tighter scheduling means idle planes and crews can be reallocated sooner to restore operations after weather events or system glitches.

Speedier boarding processes similarly get flights out on time so passengers reach destinations sooner. Travelers feel real impacts too when new optimized arrival procedures like Optimized Profile Descent enable smoother descents with fewer extended level-offs. As United Airlines captain Bill Sample noted, "By modernizing arrival procedures, airlines deliver a better ride into congested hub airports."

To be sure, some "optimization" measures feel anything but optimized from the passenger perspective. Charging for seat selection and baggage forces travelers to do work some see as nickel-and-diming. But by unbundling services and driving ancillary fees, airlines offset costs allowing discount fares that appeal to price-sensitive flyers.