Airline Dumps Life Jackets

(Toronto, Canada) The airline industry is taking a leadership role in the conservation campaign to combat global warming. Safety equipment is being jettisoned.

Jazz airlines, Air Canada's regional affiliate, recently removed life vests from all of its planes -- including those that fly over water -- to reduce fuel consumption and save money.

Jazz Airlines has planes that carry a maximum of 75 passengers and each life jacket weighs about one pound. Consequently, each flight will now be about 75 lbs. lighter, saving on fuel. However, it's not clear that a 75-lb. reduction would be even noticeable during operation of a 50,000-lb. plus aircraft.

Nevertheless, when you're pinching pennies, they all count.

Of course, the knowledge that individual passengers are doing their part to reduce global warming will likely lose its appeal to those who are forced to tread water.