4 ms·
Refueling is very wasteful - that's why so many flights are direct today - because it's much cheaper.
by MR4D 3y ago
Refueling is very wasteful - that's why so many flights are direct today - because it's much cheaper.
- ghaff 3y agoI'm sure that's true although I don't know how the numbers pencil out. That said, people also much prefer non-stop flights because of time, hassle, and reduced likelihood of something going wrong.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- cycomanic 3y agoThat's not quite true AFAIK at least a couple of years ago the super long routes (18+h) were served in business class only because not enough customers wanted to do such a long flight in economy.
- ghaff 3y agoThat's mostly not true as far as I've seen because most trans-pacific flyers are not willing/able to spend thousands of additional $ to fly in business class.
- papertokyo 3y agoAnother factor besides comfort is that they can extend the flight time 1-2 hours by having fewer passengers and bags onboard, which of course means premium seats like SQ23/24. Qantas is planning to launch 18–21 hour routes in 2026 with economy class, using modified A350-1000 with an extra fuel tank in the hold.
- throwaway2037 3y agoAre you talking about "Project Sunrise"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_Route#Project_Sunrise https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_Route#Project_Sunrise
- lucasban 3y agoThe Singapore Airlines Singapore to New York flight is 19 hours and only has premium economy and business. I have to make this trip fairly often and I prefer to take the direct flight as it’s simpler, faster and I have to pay extra for leg room either way. That said, if I had the means I would take business each time, because 19 hours in even the nicest economy seat can be tough.
- SoftTalker 3y agoIt's also riskier to do fuel stops en route. Most accidents happen on takeoff or landing.
- FireBeyond 3y agoAccidents, and maintenance - much maintenance is predicated on cycle times, i.e. how many take offs and landings (and others are based on operational hours).
- Ekaros 3y agoDepends on distance, cargo is best way to look at the ranges. As they optimize for cost per nautical mile. Not passenger demand or comfort or speed. At certain point refuelling saves in cost.