Planes slow down to save fuel (AP/CNN) {Duh!}

NEW YORK (AP) -- Drivers have long known that slowing down on the highway means getting more miles to the gallon. Now airlines are trying it, too -- adding a few minutes to flights to save millions on fuel.

Southwest Airlines started flying slower about two months ago, and projects it will save $42 million in fuel this year by extending each flight by one to three minutes.

On one Northwest Airlines flight from Paris to Minneapolis earlier this week alone, flying slower saved 162 gallons of fuel, saving the airline $535. It added eight minutes to the flight, extending it to eight hours, 58 minutes.

That meant flying at an average speed of 532 mph, down from the usual 542 mph.
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United Airlines has invested in flight planning software that helps pilots choose the best routes and speeds. In some cases, that means planes fly at lower speeds. United estimates the software will save it $20 million a year.
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more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/05/02/flying.slower.ap/index.html

(Yes, there is a point of diminishing returns, and an optimum speed.)

PB

would help them even more. The result is astounding.