Originally Posted by
phred
Richard Branson says Virgin is going to be doing a lot more towing to and from gates because it saves tons of fuel.
I'm seeing the supertugs moving 744s from terminal to taxiway quite a bit at SFO these days. Not just UA, either - Air China, LH, EVA, VS, CX.
Moving a huge jet slowly take much less diesel fuel than jet fuel. Jet engines are designed to move a plane efficiently through the air, but on the ground its' a different story - a 744 would burn a considerable amount during a long taxi, like the north side of SFO Int'l term. to Rwy 28R/L. (So "tons" is right!)