Airlines saving on fuel by cleaning engines

In a front-page story, the New York Times (6/11, A1, Maynard) reports that, "searching for new ways to cut their soaring fuel bills," the U.S. airlines "are power-washing jet engines more often to get rid of grime." In 2000, "15 percent of the price of an airplane ticket went to pay for jet fuel; now, it is 40 percent, according to the Air Transport Association, the industry's trade group."

On the front page of its Marketplace section, the Wall Street Journal (6/11, B1, Lunsford) adds that a growing number of airlines "are finding that a nice hot bath can save millions of dollars." In the past few "months, 50 airlines have hired United Technologies Corp.'s Pratt & Whitney unit to wash their engines with a new machine that can deep clean while simultaneously collecting and purifying the hazardous runoff." In the past four years, "Pratt & Whitney has performed more than 2,000 of these engine washes." The company "says demand for the service has grown to the point that it will likely wash 5,000 engines this year." In other measures to save on fuel, "hundreds of jetliners world-wide have been outfitted with upswept wingtips that increase range and make them more aerodynamically efficient." Furthermore, "pilots routinely taxi to and from the runway on one engine to save fuel and operate planes' auxiliary-power units and other equipment as little as possible."