How Many MPG does an Airplane Get?
Posted by Mike Z on September 11th, 2009 | 0 comments
For FY2008, On a per available seat basis, the major airlines and Amtrak got the following fuel economy:
| Company | MPG Per Available Seat |
| Amtrak | 138.46 MPG |
| Airtran Airways | 64.87 MPG |
| American Airlines | 60.64 MPG |
| Continental Airlines | 68.41 MPG |
| Delta Airlines | 60.42 MPG |
| Jetblue Airways | 71.46 MPG |
| Southwest Airlines | 67.78 MPG |
| United Airlines | 62.32 MPG |
| USAirways | 64.96 MPG |
Of course that’s on a available seat basis, on a per revenue seat basis (MPG of seats with paying customers in them):
| Company | Passenger Load Factor (% Of Seats Filled) | MPG Per Occupied Seat |
| Amtrak | 52.3% | 72.42 MPG |
| Airtran Airways | 79.6% | 51.64 MPG |
| American Airlines | 80.6% | 48.88 MPG |
| Continental Airlines | 83.3% | 56.99 MPG |
| Delta Airlines | 81.4% | 49.18 MPG |
| Jetblue Airways | 80.4% | 57.46 MPG |
| Southwest Airlines | 71.2% | 48.26 MPG |
| United Airlines | 81.0% | 50.48 MPG |
| USAirways | 81.7% | 53.07 MPG |
Google Spreadsheet Noting Raw Data
Southwest does seem to be the odd man out due to the lower passenger load factor. Of course, this could well be balanced out due to the fact that Southwest follows a point to point approach where they trade lower passenger load factors for a trip with less miles flown.