Budget airline fuelling.
Discussion
One for any pilots... When an airline such as Easyjet starts the day, do they fully fuel their aircraft for all (or as many they can) the days flights, or do they refuel at each airport?
A friend and I have been discussing. He thinks they refuel so not to be lugging around too much fuel for the earlier flights whereas I thought it was more cost effective to start fully fuelled as it saves time at each airport stop.
A friend and I have been discussing. He thinks they refuel so not to be lugging around too much fuel for the earlier flights whereas I thought it was more cost effective to start fully fuelled as it saves time at each airport stop.
The pilot's don't get involved in the cost of fuel.
Operations will decide on whether or not to 'tanker' fuel between destinations, in order to save the cost of taking on fuel in destinations where it's more expensive, but it's a toss up between that and the cost of moving that fuel between A and B.
Operations will decide on whether or not to 'tanker' fuel between destinations, in order to save the cost of taking on fuel in destinations where it's more expensive, but it's a toss up between that and the cost of moving that fuel between A and B.
It varies from aircraft type to aircraft type, and even airframe to airframe. Fuel modeling is done using software that takes into account all of the variables; headwinds, weight, drag etc, for every individual flight. I did hear that for an Airbus A330, a kilo costs about 300 quid a year to fly around. That's why all of the seat legs are drilled and they only carry what they need + diversion fuel. I also heard that a large national carrier changed to electronic (ipad) flight bags with all of their charts on - rather than the big cases pilots used to carry - and the fuel/weight saving paid for the system roll out within 12 months. Trim also effects aerodynamics and fuel burn. Hence why they space people out on an empty flight.
JohneeBoy said:
One for any pilots... When an airline such as Easyjet starts the day, do they fully fuel their aircraft for all (or as many they can) the days flights, or do they refuel at each airport?
A friend and I have been discussing. He thinks they refuel so not to be lugging around too much fuel for the earlier flights whereas I thought it was more cost effective to start fully fuelled as it saves time at each airport stop.
It doesn't really save much time; the fuelling can take place at the same time as other activities such as baggage loading/unloading etc. A friend and I have been discussing. He thinks they refuel so not to be lugging around too much fuel for the earlier flights whereas I thought it was more cost effective to start fully fuelled as it saves time at each airport stop.
There's also the consideration that some airports have much shorter runways than others, which means you can't take off or land with a full load of fuel and you have to stop en-route to get some more.
It's a part of the industry I find fascinating, even though I'm only working with a regional carrier. I like using the data to look for engines and aircraft that are generally less efficient, so we can get them in for maintenance sooner. 
I wonder if the newer, larger planes pump the fuel around to help with trim during flight? It would be interesting to see whether they could do so depending on the way that weight moves around the aircraft in flight, such as food and drink being spread out to passengers, and the toilets becoming fuller, for instance...?
I wonder if the newer, larger planes pump the fuel around to help with trim during flight? It would be interesting to see whether they could do so depending on the way that weight moves around the aircraft in flight, such as food and drink being spread out to passengers, and the toilets becoming fuller, for instance...?
this is longhaul but some interesting fuel info a few minutes in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNUomfuWuA8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNUomfuWuA8
bazza white said:
this is longhaul but some interesting fuel info a few minutes in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNUomfuWuA8
Wendover covers a lot of interesting stuff, and explains it well. I've watched a few of his videos.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNUomfuWuA8
HOGEPH said:
It's always interested me how much extra fuel is burned just to account for the extra weight of fuel carried over and above what is required for the trip.
Someone smarter than me must know how that equation pans out....
The equations wrt space craft are just mindboggling. Most of the fuel in a rocket is only there to power engines strong enough to lift the weight of the fuel.Someone smarter than me must know how that equation pans out....
Small additions to the weight of the non-fuel elements of the rocket have an enormous effect on the amount of fuel required, which in turn has another great effect on the amount of fuel required! Not only do you need fuel to lift the payload, but you need fuel to lift the fuel, and then more fuel to lift that fuel, and so on...
SpeckledJim said:
HOGEPH said:
It's always interested me how much extra fuel is burned just to account for the extra weight of fuel carried over and above what is required for the trip.
Someone smarter than me must know how that equation pans out....
The equations wrt space craft are just mindboggling. Most of the fuel in a rocket is only there to power engines strong enough to lift the weight of the fuel.Someone smarter than me must know how that equation pans out....
Small additions to the weight of the non-fuel elements of the rocket have an enormous effect on the amount of fuel required, which in turn has another great effect on the amount of fuel required! Not only do you need fuel to lift the payload, but you need fuel to lift the fuel, and then more fuel to lift that fuel, and so on...
LotusOmega375D said:
Do airlines really lug around all that overpriced tat, that's advertised in the in-flight magazine and that no-one ever buys?
A lot of the stuff from the in flight magazine isn't actually on board at all, they send it to you by post having taken your details down on board. Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff