Ozempic isn't just slimming waistlines—it may be trimming jet fuel bills, too. A new analysis from financial firm Jefferies estimates that if GLP-1 weight loss drugs continue to catch on, the four biggest US airlines—American, Delta, Southwest, and United—could together shave up to $580 million a year off their fuel tab, per the New York Times. The math hinges on a simple physics point: Lighter passengers mean lighter planes, and lighter planes burn less fuel. "It only makes sense that the weight of their passengers also impacts their costs," says Jefferies equity analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu, who co-wrote the report.
Fuel is already one of the industry's biggest outlays. Jefferies projects that in 2026, those four carriers will use roughly 16 billion gallons of jet fuel at a cost of $38.6 billion, close to one-fifth of their total expenses. Thinner passengers wouldn't revolutionize the business model—the potential savings are about 1.5% of fuel costs—but the report notes that airlines and pilots obsess over every pound on board, for both safety and cost reasons. Jefferies also estimates that trimming aircraft weight by 2% could translate into roughly a 4% bump in earnings per share, a number that may get investors' attention.
A KFF survey from November found that about 1 in 8 US adults reported taking a GLP-1 drug. Kahyaoglu says she doesn't expect airlines to suddenly order less fuel based on the forecast, but she floated a more subtle shift: If passengers on appetite-suppressing drugs are less inclined to buy in-flight snacks, that could chip away at onboard sales and alter how airlines chase ancillary revenue.
Airlines "have a long history of searching for unique methods to reduce the weight of the aircraft," analysts note in the report, per CBS News. Past efforts have included United switching to a lighter paper stock for its in-flight magazine, reports CNBC, as well as a move by American that removed a single olive from each onboard salad, saving the airline tens of thousands of dollars a year, per the Times. Some carriers, including Air New Zealand, Finnair, and Korean Air, have even weighed passengers at the gate for better weight-and-balance calculations, a practice that has drawn flak. The four major US carriers declined to comment.
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