Does american continue to taxi only with 1 engine, or is this time over now?

Question

I heard something they would save about 8 millions by taxiing with 1 engine, but come on, what is 8 million for american? Just by doing an emergency landing (which they do a lot in one year), and then refueling, re-booking the passengers etc., they almost pay a million for that....

Answer 1

a lot do taxi with one engine it saves fuel. they used to do it a lot with the prop airplanes but people got nervous and thought the pilot forgot to start the engine. i wouldn't be surprised if it did save 8 million.

Answer 2

If the taxi is long, single engine taxi does save fuel.  Especially at very busy airports like JFK and ATL.

Answer 3

Taxiing on one engine does not go very far in saving fuel. The "break away" thrust to get the airplane moving from a dead stop with just one engine will eat up all the savings from an idling engine. I just isn't worth it.

Answer 4

Rising oil prices will likely continue this practice for many years to come. Airlines always have and will continue to struggle financially.Saving money here ann there as well as charging for additional luggage etc can mean the difference between staying in business or becoming the next airlinwe to go out of business.

Hope this answers your question.

SEE ARTICLE BELOW:

Conserving fuel makes dollars and sense for airlines

In less than two years, the price of jet fuel has doubled. For American Airlines, that translates to almost $3 billion in additional costs annually. Other carriers have been similarly hit, of course, but I'm going to take a look at American as an example of what's being done to deal with the rising cost of fuel.

To minimize fuel consumption American launched a program called FuelSmart, designed to conserve 80 million gallons of jet fuel and save $155 million annually. While $155 million is just a fraction of its $5 billion projected fuel bill this year, American barely eked out a $58 million profit in this year's second quarter, so that savings could be the difference between black and red ink.

Like the other legacy carriers, American has incurred enormous losses in the past four years. Since 9/11 however, American has successfully implemented a total savings of $4.7 billion.

"But it's still not enough," says Roger Frizzell, American's vice president of corporate communications. "We have to redouble our efforts and find new ways to do things."

One way to save fuel is by simply carrying less fuel. Airplanes typically carry more fuel than necessary as a safety precaution in case the flight is delayed or diverted, according to Captain Steve Chealander, American's manager of flight operations efficiency. Airlines are mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to carry 45 minutes of reserve fuel on every domestic flight.

But airplanes often carry even more fuel than needed as a contingency, and extra fuel adds weight. A Boeing 767 flying from New York to Los Angeles, for example, consumes 9,000 gallons of fuel, which weighs 54,138 pounds, according to Chealander.

By eliminating extra fuel, American is cutting an average 30 minutes of flying time, saving 30 million gallons and $50 million in annual costs, without compromising safety.

But there are also times when carrying extra fuel makes sense. Like gasoline, jet fuel prices vary by region. So American operates a "ferry" program to take on fuel in places where it is least expensive and ferry it to destinations where fuel costs are high to be used on that airplane's next flight segment. Fuel prices are typically higher on the West Coast than in American's hometown of Dallas, according to Chealander. In some places like Haiti, a gallon of jet fuel costs $3.33 compared to a U.S. average $1.90 per gallon.

"It pays to fill up the plane in Miami to avoid the exorbitant cost of fuel in Port-au-Prince," says Chealander. The fuel ferry program saves $24 million annually at American Airlines. .

A flight-management computer conserves fuel by continually calculating the optimal flying speed based on a number of dynamic criteria including weight, wind speed and fuel costs according to Chealander. American expects to conserve at least 18 million gallons of jet fuel and save $30 million in costs annually through this initiative.

To aid in-flight fuel conservation efforts, American and other carriers negotiate with Air Traffic Control to fly the shortest route wherever possible. Flying more direct routes saves American another $4 million per year.

Fuel can also be conserved on the ground. Jet fuel is consumed when taxiing or parked at the gate with the engines running. American flighs taxi on one engine whenever possible. This results in a 30% fuel reduction and $4 million in additional annual savings for American Airlines, according to Chealander.

Some airlines have programs in place to minimize aircraft engine use while parked at the gate. American is increasing the number of Ground Power Units (GPUs) which supply electricity and air conditioning to a parked aircraft. A GPU burns just 1/8th of the fuel consumed by a jet engine, according to Chealander. This program has saved American $9 million so far.

Reducing weight also conserves fuel. Airlines are removing ovens, trash compactors, and other unnecessary heavy items. Decreasing the potable water to the volume necessary for the length of flight also helps. Surprisingly, this initiative is worth as much as $8 million annually to American.

Of course, all these smart fuel savings initiatives beg the question: Why didn't the airlines do this before fuel prices started spiraling out of control?

"Many of these initiatives have been around for a while," says Chealander. "It's just become more of an encouraged procedure." Every penny increase in the price of jet fuel adds another $30 million in additional costs for American. "We might have been complacent if fuel had been at $30 or $35 a barrel to not make those next-level changes, says Frizzell. "This is forcing us to do the things we really needed to do."

Reducing the weight on each flight by just 50 pounds saves American more than $1million annually. We may not like that airlines are charging passengers for overweight bags and have jettisoned everything from peanuts to pillows, but in the long run, it just adds up.