US Airlines uses AI to control aircraft and eliminate plastic to reduce carbon footprint

Alaska Airlines is unaware that most of its passengers are on board, but the plane is lighter than other Boeing 737s or Airbus A320s, according to the airline. Alaska Airlines' efforts are not limited to cabin crew members. The airline is now using an artificial intelligence (AI) program called Flyways to suggest faster, smoother, and less fuel-efficient routes for passengers to their destinations. “Flyways is probably the most exciting aircraft technology I've come across,” said Pasha Saleh

US Airlines uses AI to control aircraft and eliminate plastic to reduce carbon footprint

Alaska Airlines is unaware that most of its passengers are on board, but the plane is lighter than other Boeing 737s or Airbus A320s, according to the airline. 
 

This is because airlines have taken advantage of reduced passenger transport during the COVID-19 pandemic to develop, test and place new plastic alternatives on board. 
 

Plastic water bottles and plastic cups are gone. A lighter alternative is used. The food container has been redesigned. Not only will this help airlines reduce the use of plastics that can take more than 400 years to decompose in the environment, but lighter cabin weight means they burn less fuel, save money and reduce carbon emissions. 
 

Airlines and aircraft manufacturers are putting a fairly new focus on sustainability. United Airlines is committed to being carbon neutral by 2050. Alaska Airlines says it will be carbon neutral by 2040. Other airlines promise to pay to offset their carbon emissions. 
 

Last week, United launched the first commercial airliner to carry passengers using 100% green fuels, sugar water and corn. Fuels emit much less carbon but are much more expensive than conventional fuels. United's Boeing 737Max 8 demonstration flight flew from Chicago to Washington, DC. Airlift efforts, such as that of airlines combined with the efforts of aircraft maker Boeing, have revolutionized the aviation industry. Not long ago, the smell of airplane oil was a common sight in airports. The industry vowed to use clean fuels, electric and hydrogen aircraft under development, and reduce overall fuel consumption, as well as reduce the number of exhaust gases coming out of aircraft engines and entering the environment. 
 

Boeing Flight Lab

ABC News recently gained access to a flight lab that Boeing calls ecoDemonstrator. Boeing is borrowing new airliners before they are delivered to airlines. He cleans each plane inside the general and sets up a flight test bench with computer racks, cables and wires throughout the plane, and sensors all over the plane. For at least a few weeks, the current ecoDemonstrator will be aboard the new Boeing 737Max and will soon be fitted with a standard interior and shipped to the airline that ordered it. But for now, engineers and scientists can soon test all kinds of technologies that will make flying more sustainable. 
 

Disposal of plastic on board

Down the road from Boeing Field at the new high-tech headquarters overlooking Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Alaska Airlines is also experimenting with new ideas to reduce weight and fuel consumption. By dropping plastic bottles and glasses in November, the airline said it could reduce the weight of 18 Boeing 737s a year. This feat has never been achieved by any other major American airline. Alaska is the first airline to partner with premium brand Boxed Water to deliver water from cardboard-like containers rather than plastic bottles. 
 “The biggest challenge we are facing is single-use plastics,” said Todd TrainorCorey, Guest Product Manager for Alaska Airlines. “Even with the best recycling programs, some of this plastic will eventually end up in landfills and  into the ocean. Because we are based on the West Coast, marine life and sustainability are very important to us.” 
 

Using Artificial Intelligence to Control Aircraft

Alaska Airlines' efforts are not limited to cabin crew members. The airline is now using an artificial intelligence (AI) program called Flyways to suggest faster, smoother, and less fuel-efficient routes for passengers to their destinations. “Flyways is probably the most exciting aircraft technology I've come across,” said Pasha Saleh, 
 

Alaska Airlines' head of corporate development. Saleh is also an Alaskan pilot. 
 

Alaska Airlines has  teamed up with a Silicon Valley startup to develop Flyways using artificial intelligence. Better suggest the best way to plan your flight route. Airline dispatchers receive advice on how and where to fly. They can accept or reject the A.I. proposal. As the weeks and months go by with Flyways, the platform is getting better and better thanks to machine learning in AI.