Airlines Waging War On Weight to Reduce Fuel Consumption

I would have thought the airline industry had found every possible way to lighten a plane over the past several years of turmoil, but they keep finding new stuff to rip out of their aircraft. Latest weight savers: JetBlue has ditched the snack box in favor of small bags of crackers (mostly air), and US is replacing food and drink carts with a new model that weighs 12 pounds less.

AP, via Thompson Financial, via Forbes:

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Airlines lighten up to cut fuel costs
03.28.08, 5:29 PM ET

PHOENIX (AP) - Your ginger-ale doesn't come in a glass anymore on most US Airways flights. On Delta you'll find yourself in a thinner, lighter seat. If you fly JetBlue cross-country, you'll get a dainty bag of 100-calorie crisps in place of the original snack box of cookies, crackers and spreadable cheese.

With jet fuel prices so high, airlines have no choice but to scour their planes for ways to lighten the load. There's no room for even the smallest bits of dead weight, from redundant wing lights to extra wires in the walls. Manufacturers also are using lighter materials in plane construction.

'The pressure is immense' to cut weight, said John Heimlich, chief economist for the Air Transport Association of America, an industry trade group. 'Every penny more per gallon adds $195 million to the industry's expenses per year. [Full Article]

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