Trimming the Fat From Inflight Services (and utensils)

Service cuts on domestic U.S. airlines are all too familiar. In 2005, US Airways cut pretzel packets to the tune of $1 million in annual savings, and American Airlines cut $30 million out of their costs by eliminating free food in economy. Many others followed suit. It’s gotten so bad that Continental actually bases an entire advertising campaign about how they actually feed customers and haven’t taken away pillows. Now, as the cost of jet fuel has skyrocketed approximately 60-70 percent in the past year, BusinessWeek reports that some airlines are trying to combat the load on each flight. This has been done in the past with baggage surcharges, but now some carriers are resorting to tactics typically reserved for summiting Mount Everest.

According to BusinessWeek:

Japan Airlines has cut more than 260 pounds from the average weight of each Boeing 747 in its fleet by introducing lighter forks and thinner porcelain dishware. (The airline is also putting slimmer toothbrushes in its passenger amenity kits.) U.S. discount carrier JetBlue, meanwhile, has jettisoned bulkier snacks on long-haul flights in favor of extra-thin chips and similar fare.Those little changes add up: JetBlue reckons its featherweight nibbles are saving it more than $800,000 a year in fuel costs.

BusinessWeek