How much reserve fuel does a commercial flight carry?

[Plate spinner]

Thought I'd ask here as you chaps are bound to know.

I'm talking normal domestic flight, say from London to New York.
I'm sure the teams look at all sorts of variables like predicted weather patterns, payload etc and can forecast the technically correct amount of required fuel, no doubt very accurately.

But when the bird takes off, how much reserve / contingency is it carrying? Is there a % figure? Is it an agreed global legislation or airlines choose?

Just curious is all

[karona]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWBLqBaODF0&t=...

[Eric Mc]

Plate spinner said:

Thought I'd ask here as you chaps are bound to know.

I'm talking normal domestic flight, say from London to New York.
thumbup:

That's not a domestic flight.

[Steve_D]

As that video shows the biggest variable will be the distance to the alternate airfield. On a domestic flight the alternate may in fact be the departure airfield. Most of the other factors are either set percentages or legislation factors.

I would expect your chosen flight would be almost full anyway. A domestic/Europe flight may well have other factors like the price of fuel. If it is cheap (relative) at your departure it may well be cost effective to brim the tanks despite the increased consumption from the added weight.

Steve

[Plate spinner]

Eric Mc said:

Plate spinner said:

Thought I'd ask here as you chaps are bound to know.

I'm talking normal domestic flight, say from London to New York.
thumbup:

That's not a domestic flight.

Indeed, I meant commercial, not domestic, my mistake

[Plate spinner]

karona said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWBLqBaODF0&t=...

Explains it well, thanks!

[Plate spinner]

Steve_D said:

As that video shows the biggest variable will be the distance to the alternate airfield. On a domestic flight the alternate may in fact be the departure airfield. Most of the other factors are either set percentages or legislation factors.

I would expect your chosen flight would be almost full anyway. A domestic/Europe flight may well have other factors like the price of fuel. If it is cheap (relative) at your departure it may well be cost effective to brim the tanks despite the increased consumption from the added weight.

Steve

Fair point, hadn't even considered regional variations in cost of fuel

[anonymous-user]

Plate spinner said:

Thought I'd ask here as you chaps are bound to know.

I'm talking normal domestic flight, say from London to New York.
I'm sure the teams look at all sorts of variables like predicted weather patterns, payload etc and can forecast the technically correct amount of required fuel, no doubt very accurately.

But when the bird takes off, how much reserve / contingency is it carrying? Is there a % figure? Is it an agreed global legislation or airlines choose?

Just curious is all

Hi the crew should be carrying enough fuel for

(Taxi and take off and flying to the destination)

Then

-3% contingency fuel (for unforeseen circumstances) like avoiding weather or not getting the levels they want etc.
-Final reserve fuel (30 mins holding fuel)
-Alternate fuel, (enough fuel to divert to a designated alternate airfield)

Basically the rules are set by the regulator but airlines or crews themselves may be loading more fuel on the day.

You’d report for your flight and the paperwork (or electronic equivalent) will tel you what all those figures above actually are, then you and your mate decide if you need any extra, like if the weather is rubbish or you’re not happy with the minimal amount your employer thinks is safe or you feel a bit scared or something,

You may be carrying extra fuel for things like lack of fuel at the destination or if it’s really expensive there. Short haul flights might be carrying enough fuel to get back again if there are big variations in cost,

Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 20th August 17:59

[5150]

Your bottom line / legal fuel minimum is something Ryanair copped a lot of flack for in the past - Newspapers sensationalising the fact that they fly around taking minimum fuel, but leaving out the fact that within that minimum are the contingencies and final reserves also.

Every airline does the same. I had a discussion with a crew member of ours one time who was "disgusted" that Ryanair should do such a thing. I then told her that we had flown across the Atlantic to our destination on 'minimum fuel' . . . her face was a picture!

[anonymous-user]

5150 said:

Your bottom line / legal fuel minimum is something Ryanair copped a lot of flack for in the past - Newspapers sensationalising the fact that they fly around taking minimum fuel, but leaving out the fact that within that minimum are the contingencies and final reserves also.

Every airline does the same. I had a discussion with a crew member of ours one time who was "disgusted" that Ryanair should do such a thing. I then told her that we had flown across the Atlantic to our destination on 'minimum fuel' . . . her face was a picture!

I think the issue with some airlines is the willingness of the crew to take more than the minimum fuel when it might be prudent to do so.

Also things like how accurate and realistically the airline measures the routings and distance to the alternates and even what alternates are selected etc. I’ve seen airlines calculate fuel to a diversion airfield just by going straight from one airfield to another at a nice efficient altitude. This is obviously never going to happen.

The result and evidence of this, is of course that some airlines end up having to declare emergencies due to fuel more than others.

[Geneve]

Some aircraft will require a minimum fuel load to satisfy C of G requirements.

IIRC Concorde was very C of G sensitive. Incidentally, Concorde once returned to LHR, after a transatlantic crossing, with less than it's minimum fuel reserve. The Captain was dismissed, I believe.