A new whitepaper details an 8-month study conducted with Virgin Atlantic in which a behavioral intervention with pilots created $6.1M in fuel savings, and demonstrated the most cost-effective carbon-abatement solution in history.

With the airline industry being one of the hardest-hit since the onset ofCOVID, finding easyways to save millions of dollars and tons of fuel would likely be welcome.

Signol a London-based tech firm thats usedbehavioral economics and data science to develop a software that helps companiescut fuel waste and reap the resulting millions in fuel and carbon savings hasjust released its first whitepaper, which details a study that could be agame-changer for the aviation industry.

The 6-page report explores an 8-monthstudy conducted with Virgin Atlantic in which a behavioral interventionwith pilots created $6.1 million in fuel savings; and demonstrated the mostcost-effective carbon-abatement solution in history, with 24k tons in carbonsavings,. The pilot study (in more ways than one) was the world's firstrandomized, controlled trial in aviation and ultimately led to the formation ofSignol.

As Signol Board advisor Melvin Matthews said in a blogpost:

Companies are now waking up to the impacts of human behavior on operations. Having the most sophisticated and advanced machinery is virtually useless,unless it is operated efficiently by competent operators. This is wheremonitoring, benchmarking and improving human behavior comes in perhaps as thefinal frontier to further push the boundaries of performance.

Among the studys findings:

When it comes to making consistent, safe and fuel-efficient decisions, thereis a difference of up to 4x between top and bottom pilots

Making fuel-efficient decisions can save up to 4 percent of fuel burn perflight, along with the equivalent carbon savings

By individually tailoring and targeting feedback on captain behavior,fuel-efficient behavior is increased by over 10 percent above simply showinggeneric dashboards

By directly connecting pilots to the impact of their decisions and offeringprosocial incentives such as charitable donations pilot wellbeing isalso significantly improved.

In these difficult times, we want to offer a positive vision; and to be a keystep for a new way of doing business in the 2020s where profits gohand-in-hand with social and environmental impact, says Signol CEO Dan White.

The publishing of the whitepaper is the first step of many in the works for Signol, which is dedicated to saving operational costs and helping airlines build back better from COVID through operational behavioral interventions.

Signols analytical techniques shine light on the human aspect of operationaldecision-making and help companies use this insight to reduce both highoperating costs and high greenhouse gas emissions. With its proven results forthe aviation industry, the company is now working to adapt its behavioralfeedback platform to tackleother high-emissions industries including shipping and road transport.

On November 19, Signol will host a roundtablediscussionwith the behavioral economists involved in the Virgin Atlantic study alongwith aviation academics, airline management, and pilot union leaders on howsmall changes can add up to major financial, resource and environmental savings.

Published Nov 12, 2020 1pm EST / 10am PST / 6pm GMT / 7pm CET

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Report: Small Behavioral Interventions with Pilots Add Up to Massive Savings for Airlines - Sustainable Brands