Well, I don't know about you, but as the cost of fuel climbs ever higher I'm increasingly careful when I'm driving - minimising harsh acceleration and cruising at lower speeds. OK, so I might arrive half an hour later if I cruise at 70 rather than hammer along at 90, but in the grand scheme of things does it matter that much? There were some fascinating stats in Time magazine this week (19th May edition).
NorthWest airlines calculates that by flying 10mph slower on a typical transatlantic flight it will arrive just 8 minutes later but will save 162 gal. (613 L) of fuel
during each flight.
Similarly, Southwest Airlines plans to reduce speeds, adding 1
to 3 mins. to its flights this year. The saving? A whopping $42 million.
It would be nice to think some of these savings would be passed on to passengers... Fuel surcharges now account for 30% (sometimes as much as 50%) of the cost of a ticket.