Rankings / Virgin America
Last reported 2017Virgin America
In 2017, its last year in the data, Virgin America flew 62.7 passenger-miles per gallon of jet fuel. That's 11% better than the all-airline figure that year. Since 2008 its figure has risen 8%.
About Virgin America
Virgin America started flying in August 2007 from San Francisco, with a young Airbus fleet and a base in California. Alaska bought it in December 2016, and BTS began combining their filings in April 2018, so this page ends in 2017.
- 62.7passenger-miles per gallon, 2017
- 0.156 kgCO2 per passenger-mile
- 84%of seats filled
- 144seats per flight on average
The story in the figures
Virgin America's passenger-miles per gallon rose 7.7% between 2008 and 2017, from 58.2 to 62.7. Most of that came from fuller planes: planes ran fuller, with 77% of seat-miles filled in 2008 against 84% in 2017, while seat-miles per gallon fell 1.5%.
The shape of the flying changed as well: the average passenger flew 1,342 miles per segment in 2008 and 1,535 in 2017. In general, longer flights spend a smaller share of their fuel on takeoff and climb.
Its best year was 2009, at 63.5 passenger-miles per gallon, and its latest figure sits 1.3% below that.
Against the all-airline figure for 2017 (56.4), Virgin America was 11% better. On a 1,000 mile trip that works out to 156 kg of CO2 for one passenger, from burning jet fuel only.
What one seat costs the climate
CO2 for one passenger on Virgin America, from burning jet fuel only.
- 78 kgover 500 miles
- 156 kgover 1,000 miles
- 311 kgover 2,000 miles
Virgin America merged with Alaska, and BTS began combining their filings in April 2018. Later years are under Alaska Airlines.
Year-by-year figures
| Year | Passenger-miles per gallon | kg CO2 per passenger-mile | Seat-miles per gallon | Load factor | Passengers (millions) | Fuel (million gallons) | CO2 (thousand tonnes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 62.7 | 0.156 | 74.9 | 83.7% | 8.4 | 207 | 2,016 |
| 2016 | 62.8 | 0.155 | 75.1 | 83.5% | 8.1 | 194 | 1,892 |
| 2015 | 61.8 | 0.158 | 75.1 | 82.2% | 7.0 | 169 | 1,648 |
| 2014 | 62.4 | 0.156 | 75.7 | 82.4% | 6.5 | 162 | 1,576 |
| 2013 | 61.8 | 0.158 | 77.1 | 80.2% | 6.3 | 159 | 1,549 |
| 2012 | 61.5 | 0.159 | 77.6 | 79.3% | 6.2 | 161 | 1,573 |
| 2011 | 62.2 | 0.157 | 76.4 | 81.4% | 5.0 | 129 | 1,258 |
| 2010 | 61.4 | 0.159 | 75.3 | 81.5% | 3.9 | 102 | 991 |
| 2009 | 63.5 | 0.154 | 76.6 | 82.8% | 3.7 | 85 | 833 |
| 2008 | 58.2 | 0.168 | 76.0 | 76.5% | 2.5 | 59 | 572 |
Where the leaders stand
Nearby airline results
These airlines sit nearby by passenger-miles per gallon in their last data year. Historical airlines have different end years, shown here, so this isn't a same-year ranking.
Airline references
Source: US Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Schedule P-12(a) fuel, T-100 traffic and regional Schedule T-2 filings; US EPA jet-fuel CO2 factor. See the methodology.