As escalating oil prices put a dent in airline profits over the last year, United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAUA) began practicing new, and often simple, methods for reducing fuel consumption.
The airline charted a new path across the Pacific, becoming the first U.S. carrier to participate in the Asia and South Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (ASPIRE), and saving 1,564 gallons of fuel and 32,656 pounds of carbon emissions on a single flight.
The flight from Sydney, Australia to San Francisco International Airport used 11 fuel-saving initiatives from gate to gate..
"I am pleased to have seen first-hand the technologies that have helped our state be at the forefront of aviation’s future," says California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who greeted the flight at the airport last month. "The reduction in fuel usage and carbon emissions is another example of businesses both reducing costs and helping the environment."
Prior to the flight’s arrival, Governor Schwarzenegger joined United Boeing 777 Captain Rick Shay in the cockpit of a United Boeing 777 to receive a tutorial on Tailored Arrivals, a special arrival procedure that generates additional fuel savings with a smooth, continuous descent rather than the traditional step-down approach. United and partner Boeing have expanded the program this year with a substantial increase in the number of flights permitted to conduct Tailored Arrivals, each of which saves around 60 gallons of fuel.
‘ASPIRE United’ reduced fuel burn and emissions by using up-to-the-minute fuel data, priority takeoff clearance, normally restricted airspace around Sydney’s airport, and new arrival procedures–all of which are possible with new technology.
ASPIRE is a multilateral partnership of the Federal Aviation Administration, Airservices Australia, and Airways New Zealand. Data from the flight will be analyzed by the FAA in its ongoing effort to accelerate the development and implementation of operational procedures to reduce the environmental footprint for all phases of flight.
United Airlines operates nearly 3,000 flights a day on United and United Express to more than 200 U.S. domestic and international destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C. With key global air rights in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Latin America, United is one of the largest international carriers based in the United States.
Loading...