Fuel is one of the biggest expenses that airlines have (especially at the moment), so British Airways is planning on introducing an intriguing new scheme to incentivize pilots to cut fuel burn. This seems smart on the surface, though it does raise the question of whether this could cause pilots to adopt some less than ideal practices.
British Airways pilots may get 1% bonus for cutting fuel burn
Bloomberg reports how British Airways has proposed a new incentive scheme that would reward pilots for reducing fuel burn and carbon emissions.
Under the plan, which would kick in as of 2027, pilots would get a potential bonus of up to 1% on their basic salary if collective targets are met. Pilots would need to collectively cut carbon dioxide emissions by 60,000 tons above 2025 levels to unlock the payout.
The plan is expected to be put out to a vote among members of the British Airlines Pilots Association (BALPA) in late April 2026. It’s not clear to me what downside there is to pilots, so I’m not sure why they’d vote against this.
As you can tell based on the timeline, this isn’t specific to the current spike in oil prices, since it would only be implemented in 2027, but instead, is about long term savings.
Per the document to pilots, “flight crew decisions have a direct and measurable impact on fuel burn and emissions,” and “the incentive exists only to recognise and reward fuel efficient behaviours when, and only when, they are compatible with uncompromised safety and sound airmanship.”
How could British Airways pilots reduce fuel burn?
I think most people would agree that the concept of incentivizing reduced fuel burn seems like a win-win. I think the logical question that some people may have is how much control pilots actually have over fuel burn.
For example, we could see how something like this would work for those driving cars — some drivers constantly accelerate fast and then slam on breaks, and obviously that’s not great for fuel burn, vehicle maintenance costs, etc.
Flying a plane is a bit different, though, since pilots are following checklists, air traffic control instructions, etc. The amount of engine power applied at takeoff is based on the length of the runway and other factors, rather than based on a pilot’s “vibes.”
This initiative is apparently largely focused on reducing fuel burn through updated taxiing procedures and also fuel load planning. When it comes to taxiing, I imagine we could see planes primarily taxi with just one engine, to reduce fuel burn on the ground. That’s easy enough to implement, though I’d say the trickier topic is adjusting fuel load planning.
Planes obviously carry fuel reserves in case they need to enter holding patterns, deviate around weather, divert, etc., as that buffer is important for the safe operation of flights. There’s a cost to all that excess fuel, even just purely in terms of the fuel burn for carrying the weight of the extra fuel that won’t be used.
So I have to imagine this project would incentivize carrying as little extra fuel as possible. Admittedly there are regulations about the minimum amount of extra fuel that needs to be carried, so it’s not like pilots can be reckless here, and I wouldn’t call this “dangerous.”
At the same time, one does wonder if such an incentive system makes sense, especially when there’s an annual target. Ultimately the captain has final say on how much extra fuel is carried (beyond the minimums), and it does seem to me like this potentially gets rid of some buffer, even if it’s by no means “unsafe.”
Bottom line
British Airways is planning on incentivizing pilots to reduce fuel burn. If targets are met, pilots could get a bonus of up to 1% on their annual pay. The idea is that pilots could use new taxiing procedures and updated fuel load planning to cut emissions.
This seems like a reasonable enough concept, though perhaps eliminating some buffer on how much extra fuel is carried is something passengers may not love.
What do you make of British Airways’ proposed bonus for pilots?