SEATAC, Wash. - Alaska Airlines claims to be number one for the 10 largest domestic carriers when it comes to being into the most fuel efficient carrier in the country. But, the airline says right up front that there's more work to be done.
Alaska Air Group is the holding company for both Alaska and Horizon airlines and the environmental efforts of both carriers is addressed in the first-of-its-kind report entitled "Improving our Environmental Footprint."
Between both airlines, the company says greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by 23-percent over the past six years as measured by seats flown by paying passengers.
While emissions like carbon dioxide are invisible to the human eye, what is visible are some of the efforts to improve fuel efficiency. Many of Alaska's jets sport winglets - those vertical up-curves at the tips of wings - which can improve efficiency by 10 percent.
At five airports including Sea-Tac, most planes at gates plug directly into shore power or into more efficient ground carts to keep the air conditioning and the lights running while planes load and unload. There is much less reliance on a small jet engine you typically hear around airports called an Auxiliary Power Unit that's typically located in the airplane's tail.
The biggest gains are harder for the passenger to spot, but easier from the cockpit. They include more direct approaches into airports and more precise flying. Earlier this year, Horizon Airlines became the first carrier to use an airplane-contained approach system to fly into more rural airports.
In the 1990s, Alaska Airlines was the pioneer in using high-tech approaches to get into airports in the State of Alaska that were often tough to reach because of bad weather. These RNP, or Required Navigational Precision approaches, are now widely used across the country at larger airports.
"They're hitting on many of the right notes." says Peter Mazza, the Research Director for Climate Solutions, an Olympia based environmental organization. The group says it is dedicated to Practical Solutions to Global Warming. In a world where many corporations are blamed for "greenwashing" - claiming environmental benefits where there really are little to none - Mazza says the gains at Alaska Airlines appear legitimate.
But while Alaska's environmental spirit may be in the right place, what's good for the environment is also good for business. Wasting fuel is wasting money. As the cost of jet fuel spiked a few years ago, all airlines felt the pressure brought on by billions of dollars in red ink. That's one thing Boeing is banking on as its 20-percent more fuel efficient 787 Dreamliner is already it's best seller as a new jet.
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