Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) was the first airline to use continuous descent approaches (CDAs—also known as green landing approaches), and it has been honing the method for several years at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport. In a CDA, instead of descending with engines at full speed, a plane begins a descent at a constant low-degree angle earlier than a traditional descent, and lands with its engines at idle. This saves 330 pounds of fuel and eliminates 1,036 pounds of carbon dioxide.
In December 2007, SAS made the world's first CDA in a transatlantic flight, from Newark into Stockholm. "This is a big step for the aviation industry, and Scandinavian Airlines is proud to lead the way when it comes to environmental issues," said SAS chief Lars Sandahl Sorensen.
Continental was first out of the gate among U.S. carriers in using several technologies that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft.
"Continental has been committed to promoting environmental responsibility for decades—long before thinking green became the norm," said Leah Raney, the airline's managing director of global environmental affairs. "We were the first airline in the world to retrofit Boeing 757-200s and 737-500s with winglets, which are wingtip extensions that lower aircraft drag and result in up to a 5-percent reduction in emissions and noise. We are also reducing emissions through aircraft weight-reduction initiatives, such as removing unnecessary service equipment and transitioning from steel brakes to lighter carbon brakes.
"Continental is the first U. S. carrier to order the Boeing 787, which will be the most environmentally advanced aircraft in the world; we eagerly anticipate adding it to our fleet," Raney added.
Not only will the Boeing 787, known as the Dreamliner, be 20-percent more fuel-efficient than today's similarly sized aircraft, but because it will be made primarily of recyclable carbon-fiber composite, less scrap metal during manufacturing will mean less waste.
Continental is also working to improve fuel savings on the ground. "We use only one engine during ground taxiing whenever possible," said Raney.
In 2008, the airline was able to reduce aircraft taxi times at its Houston and Newark hubs through a real-time service that shows the exact ground locations of its planes at all times. This lets the carrier make better decisions on when to push aircraft out of their gates.
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