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Pilots Say Parsimonious Airline Fuel Allotments Getting Out of Hand

Oil prices may have eased somewhat in the past couple of weeks, but they're still pretty lofty, causing airlines to do everything they can to keep costs down. Some airline pilots, however, feel that their bosses are going too far, forcing them to fly with less fuel than they'd like to, and possibly compromising customer safety

As the AP points out in a recent news item, pilots are increasingly complaining to government authorities about management scrimping on fuel on certain flights, causing a few white knuckles in the cockpit as the needle drifts perilously near the red. In February, for example, a 747 captain reported burning extra fuel over the Atlantic on his way to JFK due to headwinds, but being rebuffed by his airline overlords when he discussed a refueling stop. The flight landed safely at JFK, but the captain said it was just too close for comfort.

The airlines say that flights always have sufficient fuel, and U.S. authorities are reluctant to get involved. But our own pilot friends have complained of this exact phenomena numerous times: "I didn't have enough fuel to wait in the pattern at JFK so I had to reroute to Philly," or "They're flying smaller jets on transatlantic routes now to save money, and they sometimes have to declare fuel emergencies on approach because they can't afford to wait in line to land."

We're content to leave this to the experts to work out, but would certainly hope our next flight has a few extra gallons to burn, just in case.

Related Stories:
· Whiney Pilots Complain that Stingy Airlines are Forcing Them to Fly Uncomfortably Low on Fuel [Consumerist]
· Pilots Forced to Fly Low on Fuel Worry About Safety [AP via Newsday]
· Airline News [Jaunted]

[Photo: Modern Mechanix]