American Airlines fuel economy

With fuel prices rising and cap-and-trade policy putting a price on carbon, American Airlines is using technological innovations to cut down on fuel use. A recent flight from Paris to Miami put this to the test.  New practices included “single-engine taxi on departure and arrival, continuous climb out and descent, optimized routing over water, and a ‘tailored arrival,’” according to a press release from AA.  Before this, “blended winglets”  which cut down on drag and increase fuel efficiency were tested on an American Airline plane in March. This winglet technology could save 500,000 gallons of fuel per aircraft each year, reported Reuters.

As part of the Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE), a collaboration between American and European airline regulators, American Airlines is working to put fuel efficient practices and technology to work today.

Those who fly with American also have the option of purchasing offsets for their flight emissions.

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Elizabeth Ulion is a graduate student at Northwestern University.

Photo courtesy of birdlike/Flickr