WestJet crew flags fuel burn from 32-minute Seattle taxi
A WestJet captain reported burning about 800 pounds of fuel while taxiing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a delay long enough that the flight would have needed to return to the gate without extra fuel loaded in advance.
A WestJet flight to Calgary spent 32 minutes taxiing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Thursday, October 8, 2026. It burned roughly 800 pounds of fuel before reaching the runway, according to the flight's captain.
Flight WS1553, a Boeing 737-800 registered C-FWIJ, was already about three hours behind schedule when it pushed back from gate S5 in the South Satellite. The aircraft then worked through congested taxiways to runway 16L.
The captain told company dispatch the aircraft had burned 800 pounds, or about 360 kilograms, of fuel while idling and maneuvering. More fuel than the standard planned amount had been requested before departure. Without that extra load, the crew said, the 737 would have had to return to the gate to refuel to meet legal minimum takeoff fuel requirements.
The captain described half-hour taxi delays as routine for Seattle-Tacoma. The flight departed runway 16L at 1:35 p.m. local time and continued to Calgary.
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Sources
- airlive.netWestJet captain raises concerns over long Seattle taxi time after burning 800 pounds of fuel on the ground