How many miles does the average commercial flight fly before it has to refuel?

Question

How many miles does the average commercial flight fly before it has to refuel?

Answer 1

depends on how far the destination is. planes typically carry the least amount of fuel they can (destination, plus fuel to reach their alternate, plus 30 minutes reserve). the main reason is that jet fuel weighs about 7 pounds per gallon, which adds up very quickly in a large aircraft

Answer 2

Airplanes are not fueled like cars. Rather than topping off the tanks and refueling when you are close to being empty, airplanes fuel burned is calculated and planned.

Because weight is much more important in flight than it is in your car, it is important to keep the weight to a minimum.  If a flight is expected to burn 2500 gallons then in a perfect world the ideal amount of fuel to have would be 2500 gallons and not a drop more, because any extra fuel is extra weight. For safety reasons there are minimum reserves that must be met and many airlines have minimums that are higher than FAA minimums.  

So how many miles does it take before a commercial plane has to refuel?  They will refuel after each and every flight, with the fuel requirements of the next flight in mind.

Answer 3

There is no such thing as an "average" commercial flight. Every day there are flights that cross the pacific and atlantic oceans, and others that hop to the next town a hundred miles away. If you were to use a Boeing 737 as an example in transcontinental domesic service in the USA, then 5-6 hours would be a typical fuel load (3,000 miles). A Boeing 747 in International service might be fueled for as much as an 18 hour flight (9,000 miles).

Answer 4

The refuelling is so planned that the aircraft will complete its leg of the journey with the 'minimum legal required fuel' on board. Carrying additional fuel will impose a weight penalty by increasing the fuel consumption, hence refuelling is a very carefully  calculated aspect of flight planning.

Answer 5

Hmm....well ive never heard of a like "average flight" being more than 6 hours, so like...i guess maybe 6 hours?