This is being done a number of ways, from carrying less water and fewer cabin trolleys to using light-weight crockery and thinner paper for in-flight magazines. No cut is too small.

The rationale: A lighter aircraft burns less fuel and makes for cost savings. With jet oil trading at US$140 per barrel this week - 62.5 per cent higher than a year ago - every kilogram of unnecessary weight is one too many.

Read the full story in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.