The lower speed is hardly noticeable to passengers, but it sure turns up on the bottom line. SAS Norge estimates it has saved NOK 60 million (about USD 12 million) because flying slower enhances fuel efficiency.
With average cruising speed cut from 860 kilometers and hour to 780 kph, SAS Norge also has cut its carbon emission by around 28,000 tons since January 2006, reports newspaper VG.
"The difference in flying time between Oslo and Bergen is about three minutes for a Boeing 737," notes Thomas Midteide of SAS Norge. The so-called "economy speed" also results in a trip that's about 10 minutes longer for a trip from Tromsø, in northern Norway, all the way to Paris.
That doesn't matter much to passengers, but it matters a lot to the environment and also can help keep airfares relatively low.
SAS has also launched early departures if all passengers are in place and on board its aircraft. If flights leave slightly before their scheduled departure time, it can offset extra minutes in the air. A flight from Oslo to Bergen flying at "economy speed" can save 130 kilos of fuel, or 420 kilos of carbon emissions.
SAS' "economy speed" program is part of several other environmental and cost-savings measures as the airline tries to tackle major increases in fuel costs. Planes are also taxiing to the gate after landing on one motor, and some may start trying to taxi out to take-off on one motor as well. That will also reduce fuel consumption.
Rival Norwegian Air is also trying to cut costs and carbon emissions by flying slower, "but the program is so new that we don't have any resultws yet," said information director Anne Grete Ellingsen.
