Odd Things Airlines Are Doing to Reduce Weight (and Save Fuel)

No, nobody’s weighing the passengers…yet. But airlines are doing all sorts of imaginative things to drop pounds off a plane, to save fuel. Here’s a partial listing from the International Herald Tribune.

- Japan Airlines suspends beer sales on domestic flights

- Cathay Pacific strips paint off some planes (paint can weigh 440 lbs on a 747)

- American swaps old drink carts for new models (17 lbs lighter)

- Northwest is putting 25% less water in bathrooms on international flights (water weighs 8.3 lbs per gallon)

It all adds up: Southwest figures that, since it began washing some of its jet engines on a nightly basis last April (to reduce “drag” caused by dirt), its saved $1.6 million in fuel costs.