Airlines continue weight loss programme
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Airlines are trying every tactic to lighten their load and reduce their fuel bills, a Times of London article said.
It said in an industry where every gram counted, carriers were adopting increasingly innovative measures to cut weight, adding to measures which they have already adopted - like cutting routes and grounding aircraft.
British Airways is reducing the weight of passenger meals, replacing catering trolleys and scrapping cabin crew paperwork. Others are removing earplugs, cutting back on sachets and even shaving millimetres off cutlery.
Virgin Atlantic, for example, is reducing the weight of meals by cutting down on packaging, the report said. The carrier has already removed the Clingfilm from bread rolls and eventually wants to develop a package-less meal.
The Time said Emirates was looking to replace all in-flight printed material with on-screen electronic information. All Nippon Airways (ANA) has introduced lighter porcelain for first and business classes and Japan Airlines has slimmed the handles of its forks and spoons, reducing their weight by 2g each, the report said.
Paul Charles, spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic, was quoted saying: “When you add it all up for every flight each year, it does matter. Basically, you need less fuel to power a flight if it is lighter. It works wonders.”
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