Pilots Say Forced to Fly with Low Fuel

Numerous reports from pilots of major U.S. airlines are flowing in regarding being forced to fly their aircraft with too little fuel. To set this up for all the readers, FAA regs mandate that a commercial aircraft/air carrier operating under FAR Part 121 carry enough primary fuel to reach its destination and to reach the filed alternate airport (in certain weather conditions) AND carry enough reserve fuel to fly for 45 minutes beyond that point.

Also, it is the captain's final call as to if he/she feels that the aircraft needs additional fuel and some captains have reported that the dispatchers are challenging them when it comes to making that ultimate call. This is all allegedly a reaction of airlines in response to escalating fuel prices. American Airlines said they will spend $9.3 billion on fuel this year, a 39 percent hike from last year.

Now if this is truly the case and a few pilots are not just trying to create some drama, then I would say we have a serious problem. Next thing we know, there will be a serious accident due to fuel starvation and then the FAA will have to do another one of its now infamous review of every airlines books. Of course, the airlines call these allegations absurd, but what else would they say at this point?

Below are a few excerpts from what some of the pilots have reported in their NASA Aviation Safety and Reporting System forms:

One:
With the fuel they gave me I had to declare minimum fuel on arrival in Miami and dispatch had to request help from Miami ATC. This was also discussed with dispatch prior to my departure. It’s almost like a contest to see how far we can spread this company thin, and when an accident happens, we’ll start reintroducing the safety elements we once had. Congratulations to all who got us to this point.

Two:
It is obvious to me that in order to save the high fuel price at MROC we were dispatched with a minimum fuel load. Dispatchers often cut it so close to save a couple hundred dollars and risk a diversion with the expenses of more fuel, missed connections, out of base customs, and longer crew days. ... I am all for saving money but I do not believe we should make the margins so narrow.

Three:
This was poor judgement in decision-making and a serious disregard for safety from the beginning. We (flight crew and dispatcher) were being pushed into a compromising position and a potential fuel emergency, which is then the pilot-in-charge’s responsibility.

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