More passengers, fewer planes. That's the mantra of the modern airline, which is constantly working on increasing efficiency in order to increase profits.
United Airlines announced on Thursday that it expects capacity growth of 1.5% to 2.5% on its entire fleet, with an increase of .5% to 1.5% on its domestic fleet. Part of that growth will be new planes, but part of it will be made on existing ones.
See also: Airlines could save $20 billion on jet fuel in 2015, but passengers may be last to benefit
"The major driver of growth is the rollout of slim-line seats," said United's vice president and chief revenue officer Jim Compton during the airline's earnings call on Thursday. "We currently have installed these seats on more than 300 aircraft ... the impact of higher utilization will represent nearly 14 additional aircraft becoming part of our fleet without spending any additional capital." Read more...
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