Quote:
Originally Posted by trader_4
Airlines never fill a plane to the max. They fill it to either required minimums or somewhat above that, depending on the airline, policies, conditions, etc. That fuel load this plane had was consistent with it's 6 hour flight to Beijing.
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I expect the airlines know how much fuel to put into each plane to not only make it to the destination, but also to fly to an alternate airport if necessary.
You never know when or where bad weather or a terrorist attack is going to occur, so planes have to have enough fuel on board to fly to alternate airports to land.
But, it also makes sense that they don't put more fuel on the plane than they may reasonably need. The extra weight makes the plane heavier and requires more fuel for the flight. That extra weight could be earning money for the airline as cargo capacity.
OT: Now I know that commercial aircraft fly at about 35,000 feet altitude. And I know the reason for this is that they use less fuel per mile at 35,000 feet than they do at 1000 feet. But, does anyone know why flying high is more fuel efficient? Is it simply because the thinner the air the less air resistance the engines have to overcome to push the airplane forward?
Would the same argument apply to internal combustion/propeller driven airplanes?