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It does change the drag, actually.

More weight = need more lift.

The way to generate more lift is by increasing the wing's angle of attack on the wing (i.e. point the nose up). In addition to increased lift this also increases drag.

Actual numbers are hard to find, but considering the weight of a commercial aircraft can vary by as much as 50% between empty weight and maximum weight, I'd wager it is well over 1%.



https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/urban-expedit...

Says that a 737 flies on average 4300 miles per day, and that 7lb digital entertainment console costs $216 to carry per year.

That's .000019 dollars per lb-mile. JFK-SFO is 2586 miles. That's $10 in fuel for carrying an extra 200lbs.

But less passengers could mean more cargo...


$10/flight * thousands of flights per day * 365 days per year = real money. Airline margins can be ruthless.


$10/flight < ticket price




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