Total power consumption for journey 30kWh. There will be losses so let's say 50kWh. Assuming USA power pricing at a pessimistic 20c per kWh, that is about $1.00 worth of electricity. About 1/3 of a c each.
I hazard that the airline won't be thinking about the fuel cost of burning a couple of litres of extra jet fuel.
Impressive maths, and thanks. Your expertise clearly exceeds mine
Worth pointing out possibly that as a large Airline, United has 718 aircraft, each operating 3 sectors a day (conservative) , resulting in a global cost of, let's say $2,000 a day using your figures, giving an annual spend of $730K, before maintenance and installation costs, plus the weight of the wiring loom.
The point I'm trying to make is that it is not '
free' - It may be perceived as a low cost offering, but that is not actually completely accurate.