Airlines turn to NASA technology to improve fuel efficiency, reduce flight times

Fuel is the biggest expense for an airline, so it comes as little surprise that carriers would look anywhere they can for methods to cut down on fuel costs. The latest inspiration for both Alaska Airlines and Virgin America comes from NASA. The two carriers are adopting NASA's Traffic Aware Planner system (TAP), according to ZDNet.

The way TAP works is by directly connecting to an aircraft's avionics system, reading relevant flight data, and then suggesting alternate routings or altitude changes that can improve the fuel savings and shave off actual flight time, which creates a win-win for the airline and its passengers.

And lest you think these mid-flight changes could pose any type of danger, TAP is too smart for that. It scans the area and can alert nearby aircraft of possible conflicts in terms of route changes. This helps to reduce the workload of the cockpit crew and air traffic controllers while creating more efficient routes of flight.

According to Virgin America spokesperson Jennifer Thomas, test simulations and initial modeling indicate that the technology, if deployed across the entire fleet, could shave more than 2,200 hours off of Virgin America flight times and save up to 1.4 million gallons of fuel each year. The airline expects to begin phasing in the technology in spring of next year.

Every little bit helps in the airline business where razor-thin margins can make or break a bottom line. Besides, having NASA technology on a passenger plane is pretty cool, too.