Flying High on Low Fuel

I believe that the aviation industry is one of the industries that has helped define our world over the past decades. Sure one can argue that computers and other forms of technology have done it but really, aviation has helped serve to make the world a much smaller place and as a result, the global economy has likely seen the positive effects of it. That being the case, it's also the industry that has been getting quite a bad rap in recent years. Ever since September 11th, 2001, the aviation industry has been under higher scrutiny and not always because of actions of their own doing. Prior to 9/11 there were occasional complaints about delays and lost baggage but nothing out of the ordinary. In recent years the problems have been... well... growing.

Passengers have long complained about things which the airlines seemingly control like flight delays or lost baggage but now they are also held accountable for security concerns or other such traumas that some passengers experience. See when the world was all honky dory the oil costs and competitive offsets meant that airlines had to compete to keep your business. Startup airlines were like the dot com businesses of the 90's, full of promise but rarely living up to the expectations placed on them. Southwest was one of the first airlines to offer fewer niceties but reasonable fares to major cities. Soon came the likes of ValuJet, Independence Air and a slew of others. Unfortunately, rising oil prices and further competition has managed to dwindle those airlines to only a few and even those that remain in business are seemingly trying to make a buck or cut corners where they can.

Having never flown first class I can't speak from experience in higher class cabins on board airlines but in economy, you rarely get gourmet meals anymore. Not that they were gourmet to begin with but at least you could expect to get a sandwich or some lighter fare on a coast-to-coast flight. I remember flying to California direct from New York back in 1991 and we got a full blown lunch in transit. These days you're lucky if you get a bag of five peanuts or six pretzel twigs. But it isn't surprising. Studies found that by eliminating an olive, one olive, from salads served onboard flights, the airlines could save tens of thousands of dollars a year. That's fairly significant! And quite telling. If you can save that much by eliminating the cost of a single olive then imagine what will happen if you completely eliminate the whole meal!

Still, before we get all up in arms about that, we have to remember that while costs should be coming down due to cost savings for the airlines, the price of oil has continued to creep up and as such, the burden of paying for that price increase falls on the passengers as well. So we get stuck with higher ticket prices and lower perks. Plus, according to recent reports in the media, we also have a higher chance of arriving at our destination with more air in the fuel tanks than fuel. ABC news and other agencies have started investigating claims that some airlines have started to purposely lighten the loads of fuel on board flights in an effort to arrive at destinations with very little fuel on board which means that they will get priority for landing. I mean isn't that preferable to endlessly circling for hours at a time?

See, before we get up in arms about this fact we have to remember some of the costs that an airline has to pay at airports. Airlines have to pay for the gates, for the personnel helping to load and unload the bags, fuel, etc., they have to pay for using the airport and the longer a plane remains on the ground, the higher the cost. So why burn up even more money in the air if you can arrive on time (if not early) and then get off for the return trip in less time? Makes sense doesn't it? Now I can hear most people out there complaining that this is a highly dangerous situation and could lead to airlines suddenly running out of fuel and dropping out of the sky. Just for the sake of comfort for those panic prone people, that isn't what would happen. Despite their penchant for being equated with Tom Cruise in "Top Gun", most pilots are cognizant of the dangeers of flying with less fuel and are capable of stopping somewhere else in case of emergency.

Most people will see this as a further reason to knock the aviation industry. After all, they are milking us for all we're worth already right? It isn't fair of them to do more to put us in jeopardy is it? Honestly? I think it's no more dangerous than any other time we fly an airline. There are so many other events going on that we are seldom aware of as passengers that it doesn't make much sense for us to be worried about this one simple incident. I mean there have been so many other problems in the past that this practice is just fuel for the fire (excuse the pun). I mean how do you know that the next time your plane lands it won't slide on some ice and go off the runway? How do you know the nose gear won't be locked at an angle? How do you know that an engine won't cut off in mid-flight? So then how will you really know if your plane barely has any fuel left when you land? I guess it's true, ignorance is bliss.