Getting your player ready...
FAA regulations: Airliners must take off with enough fuel to reach their destination or an alternate airport, plus another 45 minutes of flight. The regulations also say it’s up to dispatchers and pilots to decide the size of fuel loads, with pilots making the final call.
Why use less fuel? Spare fuel adds weight, which burns more fuel and increases a plane’s operating cost. However, fuel beyond the minimum required by the FAA is often added to airliners to allow for weather or airport delays.
Low-fuel crashes: The last major U.S. air crash attributed to low fuel was Jan. 25, 1990, when an Avianca Boeing 707 ran out while waiting to land at JFK airport in New York. Seventy-three of 158 aboard were killed.
