The problem with saving fuel..
 

is that it can never end, by definition.

It's like the "war on drugs" or the "war on terrorism" or the "war in the ME": it must always be fought, and attacked, and new strategies must be formulated by newly-formed committees. It must be perpetual.

For example, we could all (probably safely) reduce our uplift tomorrow by 100kg on each and every sector. Will that bring happiness, laughter, celebrations and bonuses?

No, it will bring forth another plea to please save another 100kg the day after...

And so on and so forth.

Don't get me wrong; I have no problem with running a safe and fuel-efficient business, like we have been doing for the last 70 years. By the way, how's our yield management going?

Sort of like earnings is, is that it is never enough.

Finally....
 

Finally someone gets the fuel saving option.

I never did, so ill routinely take another 30-60 mins on top of CFP unless there are compelling reasons not to.

Not for me to be persuaded to add more gas, no, sell me why I shouldn't.

Not long ago my 35-40 mins of comfort was wrested from ATC: 40-love soon became set point in their favour.

200kg above min divert. Started with CFP or +40 mins

Advantage receiver!

CAVOK

Nice one China and exactly the point. Will it bring financial rewards for YOU AND ME if we reduce CFP to the absolute bare bones? Of course not. It WILL bring significant rewards to those who will take all the credit and very little of the stress (ie they don't have time to fly much). Take what you think is a fair and reasonable amount because you may be asked to explain in the future but I doubt it somehow.

Why would a professional pilot let someone who sits in an office decide their fuel?

Keep in mind that our profit share formula expired last year, so no matter how much fuel you save this year, you ain't getting anything back in 2014.

Food for thought for those crunching CFP correction for even the smallest change, or god forbid, actually take fuel off because "they know better". :ugh:

Is it just me or has all this fuel-saving stuff suddenly come up after certain management changes in Line Ops?

'Nail and head', China. I remember David Downturn's 'target' of $2.00 per ATK, can't remember if it was ever made, I seem to think it was, then they started at us again looking for $1.80. They must get taught this 'target' psychology in MBA school.

Make one 'target' and it might be cardboard cutouts in Hello Kitty City, a smarmy 'thank you' in IntraCx that costs nothing, maybe a free plastic model Airbus, then it all starts again.

@coonabarabran

That's a really good question. No more CFPs for me. Time to dust off my ATPL Flight Planning notes, get a few plotting charts, get hard copies of FCOM 2 out of publications, dig out my Dalton computer and become a professional pilot once again. :E

STP

I will never, ever, take less than CFP fuel (adjusted for Final ZFW). I will add gas if I have even the slightest whim of problems at the destination or alternate.

What incentive do I have for reducing below CFP fuel?

Come on guys, quit being selfish. Think of their bonuses.

Now, I remember from accounting 101 that there are two column thingies in a balance sheet. I believe one is expense, like fuel and salary for those pesky, whiny pilots. The other one is, uh, revenue?

So, who's working on that one? What's being done exactly?

I mean, the service isn't exactly getting better, is it? Save from 'the best cabin crew in the known universe', of course.

We're going smaller aircraft to save fuel, but ASK, and overall revenues, are down.

So we go smaller to save fuel, but that restricts revenue, so we have to save more fuel...

Sounds like an inverted flat spin to me.

Then again, it's easier to get credit for saving a few tonnes of fuel than to get it for increasing a business' potential for generating revenue. That takes too many people and an actual long term growth plan... Who has time?

And lets not forget the war on Cargo Price Fixing fines.
We seem to be losing that one too..........better save more fuel to pay those as well.

Marinero

I think if you break out those old accounting textbooks again you will find that the two pesky things on the balance sheet are assets and liabilities. That is the thingy where all the creativity takes place.

The other thingy is the P&L where the cash flows in and out.

PS: The only time you have too much fuel on board is when you are on fire

Lucky we have removed the Salt & Pepper shakers in Business Class !
Hmmm you have to ask for S&P now and they turn up in a sealed capsule

- very un business class like !

That should save Tonnes of fuel - Not

The problem with saving fuel is that you as the pilot get nothing out of it!
No thank you, no commendation, no acknowledgment, no bonus or incentive, not even a financial reward of say the equivalent value of perhaps 1% of the fuel you saved the company. NOTHING. Well actually you do get something, added operational pressure to save more fuel, bullying by flight ops, and a pineapple if you complain.
So screw em, don't fly efficiently. A little out of trim here, a little deliberately finding the altitude with the strongest headwind there, a delayed pushback here and a little tech issue there, a little extra off track to avoid weather here and of course a little extra fuel uplift to mitigate said weather there! There are numerous ways to subtly burn a few extra kilo's of fuel here and there! It all adds up and at the end of the day it doesn't threaten jobs, all the extra fuel use puts a dent in Managements bonuses, that's all.

So go forth and conquer the skies fellow sky gods, take your fully laden tin toy, kick it in the guts and burn that kero by the unnecessary gallon!

I guess a cheesy letter from a Swire Prince is better than being dragged before a Star Chamber, it is a form of caring. But I am wondering about something. The Grand Wizard of IATA, Tony Tyler, has recently been making many public statements about aviation fuel, usage, costs etc. So perhaps the Swire Princes are simply adapting to Herr Tyler's words of wisdom, listening to his experience in these sorts of matters?

Perhaps CX Management wish to save fuel so as to save the environment, provide a cleaner, safer planet for our children's future, place their stamp on the carbon footprint program for the greater cause of humanity? Truly, maybe with responsibility comes accountability? Have we been blind to the facts all along - fuel conservation is being promulgated solely for the purpose of saving humanities future?

That salt and pepper shaker issue in J class has only one word : embarrassing.

Seriously, big picture there accountants. Just woeful!!

b.

Every TPE split I do, I receive the aircraft minus 700 to 900 kg's of fuel. No maintenance done, no checks done. There is no F.O.P. budget for ground power unit's but A.P.U is part of the operating budget. GPU's will have to come from a maintenance budget. Not only will a ground power unit save fuel and noise pollution, but it can be rented out when not required by C.X.

But then pilot's don't have the big picture on business unit budgets.

It's always entertaining to hear new people trying to make chicken salad out of chicken****. :ooh:

Well, you got me. It was more 5th grade Home Ec than business 101, and a sketchy memory of it at that.
:}

Still, there's something there...

Still nice of them to point out how to hurt them...................guess they don't want to talk about pay and conditions they can talk amongst themselves about all the extra fuel being carried by those who "are not worthy of discussion"