Blowing Hot and Cold

Flight-planning software is the latest strategy for airlines in the evermore competitive airline industry. Increased fuel and operating costs have expanded the use of logic and logarithmic programs used onboard commercial airplanes and in dispatch centers. These traveling-salesmen-problem computations were not previously available, or at least not with the obvious savings, until recently. Now, airlines can benefit from real-time data of wind and weather information to consider the optimal route to save time, fuel, and overfly fees, the charges to fly over airspaces. As flight paths change daily, the Wall Street Journal reported today that airlines can make last-minute changes to reduce expenses.
British Airways, using Deutsche Luftansa's Lido system, reported a savings of $5,767 in overfly fees, one less ton of fuel usage, and 18 minutes for a one-way flight from SAO-Paulo to London. It is estimated that British Airways saves over $23 million each year from the use of alternate routes. Companies offering such software include Lockheed Martin, EDS, Sabre Holdings Corp, SITA, and Boeing's Jeppesen unit.