Performance enhancement and cost reduction are driving
forces in today's airline industry. In
a world of cost pressures and escalating charges, research was conducted
into better use of jet
streams as a means of reducing costs. When operating on international airline
routes, specific
features of flight mechanics were adapted and tailored to fit a B747-200
aircraft, major
emphasis being placed on intercepting, or avoiding where necessary, the
high energy jet stream
winds of the global weather system, adjusting flight profiles and modifying
route structures.
Operations were conducted both into wind and down wind, over a period of
five years.
Techniques employed show fuel may be saved regardless of the wind being
a tailwind or
headwind. Both fuel and time have a significant bearing on airline direct
operating costs:
savings of more than 1·1 percent being made on fuel and
0·786 percent on time. Limitations
on using the techniques to gain maximum benefit are related to the high
volume of aircraft
blocking all major airways, and better quality, real time weather forecasts.
The discussion
looks at ways of improving the use of jet streams, as the world's
airline traffic continues to
grow. Forecasting upper winds, particularly in oceanic areas, needs to
improve if airlines are
to derive maximum benefits from these winds. There is need for further
study utilising other
aircraft types to ascertain what savings can result. Initial results were
encouraging, using a
Tristar L1011 aircraft.