Drafting or slipstreaming is a technique where two vehicles or other moving objects are caused to align in a close group reducing the overall effect of drag due to exploiting the lead object's slipstream.
Migrating birds do it. Lance Armstrong and his fellow professional cyclists do it. Even Formula One drivers do it.
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...-flyin-001.jpg

Riding in someone else's slipstream significantly reduces fuel burn.

In principle, the idea of flying aircraft in formation is the same as for migrating birds.

"While in formation, birds experience lower drag and therefore can fly further. Aircrafts can take advantage of the same principles to reduce their drag."


The team pointed out that "formation flight" is already practiced during military operations and their research suggests that fuel savings of up to 12% could be achieved if commercial airlines followed a similar strategy.
Airlines really kill for a 1% improvement in fuel burned, 12% is actually very large.

he concept certainly deserves further investigation. It joins a growing list of ideas suggesting how relatively simple operational changes to the way that commercial airlines are flown and taxied on the ground offer perhaps the most promising ways to cut aviation emissions, largely because they don't involve drastic and cripplingly expensive redesigns of aircraft and their fuel.For example, one big idea that has been floated for years, but still stubbornly refuses to take off, is vastly improving the coordination between national air traffic controllers. Over Europe, say, the air space is currently governed by 39 rival air traffic control centres. Why not, ask Europe's leading air traffic controllers (collectively known as Eurocontrol), just merge them all into one giant operation controlled by a super computer? This would help avoid much of the unnecessary fuel burn caused by stacking and other delays, and allow planes to fly in a straight line rather than the zig-zags many now adopt to avoid passing over certain territories charging overflight fees.
Thankfully, this now seems to be a step closer after the recent signing of a deal between the European Commission and various aviation players operating across Europe. The aim is to create a "Single European Sky" by 2020 and thereby "save emissions and billions of dollars as well as improve safety by a factor of 10".

There's a great publication called getting to grips. I'm sure you have access to FOBN which might be of good help too.

journalists using pprune
 

I remember once there was this one post a journalist used in a daily...

You Sir, really seem like one of them.

777, don't be sorry... These threads are gat for sharing information on how various airlines are conducting buisness.

B777
You are part of the staff, you can do your work,use the resources your airline provides you along with your experience flying their routes/equipment,your prior knowledge and others such as info from pPRUNErs.

And there you go,adding fuel was the only way you found to cope with that issue.
:suspect: