Airlines are dumping weight to become more fuel efficient

If you've ever driven your car with more people in it than usual, or with it packed with luggage during a summer vacation, you've probably noticed the difference in how the car feels. You may wonder why the car feel like it's dragging. Then you remember the extra weight. The extra weight uses up gas. Airplanes aren't any different. The more weight the plane carries, the more gas it uses.

With fuel prices moving upward, airlines are looking for ways to move the weight their planes carry downward. Here are some items airlines are dumping or have already dumped to become more fuel efficient, according to this article in The Plain Dealer.

• magazine racks
• unused ovens
• wing lights
• drinking glasses
• extra wires in walls
• paper manuals in cockpits

And here are some switches you may notice

• cookies traded for light baked chips
• lighter, thinner materials used for seats

Next time you are flying, look around and see what could be dumped or changed for the airplane to be more fuel efficient. You may not choose to dump the passenger sitting next to you. Here is a suggestion I thought of. Pork rinds are lighter than chips.

Filed under: Food and Drink, Airlines, Transportation, News