Winglets, sharklets help airlines save fuel costs

Boeing calls the odd-looking upturned wingtips on aircraft “blended winglets,” Airbus calls them “sharklets,” and Southwest Airlines, in ads, simply calls them “little doo-hickeys.”

Whatever the name, these wingtip extensions have become prevalent in recent years and have saved airlines billions of dollars in fuel costs. The newest, and funkiest-looking, version was used on a United Airlines commercial flight for the first time last month. The new design features the upturned wingtip but adds a downward-facing sword and sinister-looking pointed tips, which together make it a “split scimitar winglet.”