Air New Zealand sets new standards in building a green airline brand of the future

On September 12, 2008, Air New Zealand flew from Auckland to San Francisco in what 270 passengers believed was just a regular flight. But just before take-off, they were informed that they were part of an experiment to fly green.

By the end of the flight, the experiment cut waiting time, trimmed flying time, saved 1,200 gallons of fuel, eliminated 30,000 pounds of harmful carbon emissions and took a quieter landing approach at San Francisco International Airport, according to the LA Times.

Flying “Green” to lower costs

In an era when airlines are struggling with high costs, Air New Zealand demonstrated to that there is no need to ruin already floundering airline brands by nickel-and-diming customers in order to increase profits. Flying green saves substantially more costs compared to increasing profits by measures like charging a baggage fee. In fact, cost savings from less fuel consumption might just be passed to the customer by some airlines in the future.

Moreover, building an environmentally friendly brand resonates better with customers better too. In December, Air New Zealand plans to fly a Boeing 747 jumbo jet partially powered by fuel refined from the seeds of the jatropha, a type of fast-growing weed.

The airline’s environmental efforts are “consistent with what motivates people to come to New Zealand,” Chief Executive Rob Fyfe said.

How can other airlines learn from Air NZ on flying green?

In addition to flying the great circle route the shortest distance between two points, here are some key steps Air New Zealand took in this flight to be kind to Mother Nature and save substantial costs most of which can easily be duplicated by other airlines.

  1. Real time weather updates. The flight used satellite-based communications to get up-to-date weather reports that were used to divert the flight to a the most fuel-efficient flight path.
  2. Electricity to power up. While waiting at the gate as passengers boarded, the aircraft used the airport’s electrical power instead of its own auxiliary power unit to save fuel.
  3. Accurate fueling. The flight practiced “just in time fueling” procedure, as it was fuelled up once the passengers had boarded. This way, the amount of fuel was closer to the actual passenger load, which showed that the plane was 1,800 pounds lighter than expected and didn’t need as much fuel as initially estimated.
  4. Quieter landing. As the plane approached San Francisco, it began a gradual descent that was smoother and quieter than usual. It followed a “tailored approach,” in which air-traffic controllers worked with the airline to have the plane descend in a straight line, as though it were on cruise control, without having to throttle the jet engines up and down to follow the typical “step-down” landing pattern.

So, what do you think of Air New Zealand’s efforts? Is it possible for other airlines to easily trim costs in an environmentally conscious manner? Let’s discuss.

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