re: #53 darthstar

This happens more frequently than you imagine. I think they like refuelling in more midwestern airports because there’s a lower cost for jet fuel.

Ok, I wasn’t going to say anything but if we’re going to continue whipping this dead horse let me point out that calculations for fuel requirements are not exactly x miles times y gal per mile. Headwinds, flight path, weight of passengers and crew plus baggage, changes in altitude, and speed all play into the equation. Since all of these variables cannot be known with certitude at the start of the flight, crews use a best guess plus scenario. The answer isn’t to just add more fuel because fuel is also weight. There is a point where more fuel does not equal longer flight. Furthermore, “out of fuel” might merely have been the reason given to passengers. Could have been malfunctioning fuel flow indicator, loss of power, rerouting, or any number of other things. Yes they made a mistake. But they are not necessarily idiots and flaying them without knowing exactly what happened is pointless.