As Jet Fuel Prices Soar, a Green Option Nears the Runway

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With high fuel costs buffeting airlines around the world, the best hope for alternative energy for commercial aviation may be on the horizon.

The standards-setting body ASTM International is set to vote this summer on certification of hydrotreated renewable jet (HRJ) fuel.

Tests both in the laboratory and in the air (led by a most prodigious jet fuel consumer, the U.S. Department of Defense) have shown that HRJ can be processed from many types of feedstock—from weedy plants to animal fat—to make a fuel chemically identical to the crude-oil based kerosene that powers flight today.

(Related: " First Green Supersonic Jet to Launch on Earth Day ")

"We know it's feasible and safe," said Lourdes Maurice, director of the office of environment and energy at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). "The hurdles and work that remain are ensuring that the environmental footprint is one of reduced greenhouse gases, and then, on the deployment end—ensuring the availability of the product."

Those logistical challenges will dictate how many of the world's air passengers will be flying on biofuel, and how quickly. But there's no question that the gyrations of the global oil market this year have caused aviation companies and their passengers to think about the burden of petroleum dependence, and its impact on the cost of jet travel.

Prices Take Wing

Unrest in the Middle East, especially in oil-producing Libya, has helped ratchet up global oil prices to levels not seen since their historic 2008 peak—but the pressure at times has been worse for jet fuel. When refineries are squeezed, they favor producing less jet fuel and more profitable products such as diesel fuel, which is in greater demand for trucking now as the economic recovery takes hold. The March earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which caused outages at three major refineries, also took some jet fuel off the market.

(Related: " Crude Reality: Gas Prices Rocket Because They Can ")

As a result, the price of jet fuel has risen nearly 50 percent over last year's price, and 30 percent just since the start of 2011. In the first quarter of 2011, jet fuel purchases made up 33 percent of costs for major U.S. airlines, surpassing labor costs (25 percent) as their single largest expense. Every penny increase in the cost of jet fuel makes a $175 million difference to those carriers' bottom line, according to John Heimlich, chief economist for the U.S. airline industry group, the Air Transport Association. So when the jet fuel price rises by $1, as it has done over the past year, it adds $17.5 billion to the carriers' costs.

ASYI my current hot penny stock at .055. My target is .30 - Stocks ...

ASYI is a stock I have been watching for quite some time now.  News came out yesterday about the appointment of PETER BOWLER to the advisory board.  Mr. Bowler served as the Chief Executive Officer of American Eagle Airlines Inc., and was a Senior Officer of American Airlines ("AA") for more than 11 years before his retirement in June 2010.

This morning there is another news. See below.  This may be the early entry at this price

AISystems Announces Strategic Arrangement With Major Social Media Company       06/01 09:30 AM TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 1, 2011) - AISystems, Inc. (ASYI:$0.055,0$0.009,019.57%) ("AISystems" or the "Company"), creator of jetEngine(TM), a revolutionary business platform software system for the airline industry, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a strategic agreement with N5R to maximize the Company's web presence, social media strategy and online marketing services. Having sold $4.4 billion in real estate and other products through their powerful platforms, N5R are experts in social media and will provide strategic vision to the Company's social media program. They will begin a targeted campaign in conjunction with the Company's Beta Customer Program featuring advertising, targeted blog and news content, custom landing pages and webinars which will allow the Company to reach deeply and effectively into their target market at a significantly lower cost than was previously available. Acting as an extension of AISystems' (ASYI:$0.055,0$0.009,019.57%) marketing department, N5R will deliver a wide range of marketing, branding and advertising services. By working with N5R to add extended functionality without the need to increase marketing headcount, AISystems (ASYI:$0.055,0$0.009,019.57%) will be able to keep its focus firmly on building groundbreaking solutions for the airline industry. Because jetEngine(TM) BPS operates in the Cloud and does not require IT connectivity to an Airlines' infrastructure, AISystems (ASYI:$0.055,0$0.009,019.57%) intends to sell the product directly via Social Media Marketing channels, using AISystems' (ASYI:$0.055,0$0.009,019.57%) LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and many more venues to educate prospective customers about the strengths of the Company's product and value proposition. N5R's skill in linking various social media platforms together to establish a consistent brand presence for AISystems (ASYI:$0.055,0$0.009,019.

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