Wingtip modifications will save Alaska Airlines $20 million annually [View all]

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http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/10/28/2860750/wingtip-modifications-will-save.html



The Aviation Partners "split scimitar wingtips" will cut drag on Alaska Airlines jets.

Wingtip modifications will save Alaska Airlines $20 million annually
By John Gillie — Staff writer
Published: October 28, 2013 Updated 12 hours ago

Just when you've become used to seeing upturned blended wingtips on many commercial jets, Alaska Airlines is moving on to the next generation of the fuel-saving wingtips.

The airlines said it plans to install so-called "split scimitar wingtips" on most of its fleet of 130 Boeing 737s beginning next year. The new wingtips are made by Seattle's Aviation Partners, the company that developed the existing upward turning blended wingtips.

The split scimitar wingtips will modify the top of the existing wingtips and add a downward slanting wingtip to the end of the wing. The resulting wingtip will resemble a V-shape with upward and downward slanting elements.

The new wingtips are expected to save the airline about $20 million and 58,000 gallons of fuel per aircraft per year. That fuel savings is enough to power nearly 12,000 automobiles for a year, the airline said.