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0 pointsRetric7y ago0 comments

That's not really the case. Per passenger mile commercial aircraft get ~70MPG with longer flights tending to have better fuel economy. The trend is really interesting: http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/articles/business/the...

So, they are actually very efficient transportation for long trips. Absolute worst case flying around the world is 24,901 mi which uses the same fuel per person as a 35 MPG car commuting 26 miles each way for one year.

PS: You can double check this by considering ~1/3 of the cost of a seat as being spent on fuel.

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CarVac7y ago

Longer flights have better fuel economy only in short range regimes where the BFR is definitely not a consideration.

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:777-224_fuel_burn-...

Fuel economy improves at first due to reduced overhead of taxiing, takeoff, and ascent, but as you go farther the fuel consumption increases due to the need to actually carry the fuel.

RetricOP7y ago

Aircraft choice plays a role here. Airlines tend to use more efficient aircraft for longer flights.

jryle707y ago

Airlines use longer range aircrafts for longer flights. That should be obvious, shouldn't it?

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btcindivist7y ago

What is not the case? 1-2% of total CO2 footprint? That flying a full plane is equivalent to months if not a year of driving a nontrivial distance every day?

I'm not saying cars are more efficient. It's just that the distance travelled is huge when one uses an airplane.

RetricOP7y ago

Many people use more fuel in a month getting to and from work than a round trip NYC to London flight. It comes down to both distance and fuel economy with some commuters putting in over 1000 miles a week. The range for commuting fuel uses vs transatlantic flight is much wider than 10x months to year.

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0 pointsRetric7y ago0 comments

PS: You can double check this by considering ~1/3 of the cost of a seat as being spent on fuel.

0 comments

CarVac7y ago

Longer flights have better fuel economy only in short range regimes where the BFR is definitely not a consideration.

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:777-224_fuel_burn-...

Fuel economy improves at first due to reduced overhead of taxiing, takeoff, and ascent, but as you go farther the fuel consumption increases due to the need to actually carry the fuel.

RetricOP7y ago

Aircraft choice plays a role here. Airlines tend to use more efficient aircraft for longer flights.

jryle707y ago

Airlines use longer range aircrafts for longer flights. That should be obvious, shouldn't it?

1 more reply

btcindivist7y ago

What is not the case? 1-2% of total CO2 footprint? That flying a full plane is equivalent to months if not a year of driving a nontrivial distance every day?

I'm not saying cars are more efficient. It's just that the distance travelled is huge when one uses an airplane.

RetricOP7y ago

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse