Boeing 787 Dreamliner : Analysis
I came across this breakdown of aerodynamic drag and mass for the Boeing 787-8. This vehicle has a 33,000 gallon fuel tank, and seats 224 passengers. It gets 0.3mpg at 560mph, or around 67 passenger*mi/gal. That's slightly worse than an Insight with one empty seat, but the aircraft can travel in a straighter line.
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Zero-Lift Component Breakdown (Drag Areas,= Cd*S = D/q)
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Wing 18.313 sq.feet (37.0 %)
Winglets 0.143 sq.feet ( 0.3 %)
Fuselage & fairing 19.367 sq.feet (39.2 %)
Stabiliser 4.049 sq.feet ( 8.2 %)
Fin 2.975 sq.feet ( 6.0 %)
Nacelles (total) 4.591 sq.feet ( 9.3 %)
User CdS Increment 0.000 sq.feet ( 0.0 %)
------- --------
Total Cd0*S 49.438 sq.feet ( 100 %)
In other words, this aircraft has the aerodynamic drag of ten Honda Insights*.
The good news is that aircraft are very carefully designed, with fuel economy as a very high priority. All components, even interior ones, are scrutinized for their impact on fuel economy.
The bad news is air travel makes it easy, if not cheap, for a family of five to pile into a 787 and fly across the country, burning 400 gallons of fuel in the process. If air travel were not available, perhaps they'd pile into the Prius for a 15 hour trip, burning 20 gallons instead.
*sort of. That's the 787's non lift-induced drag, which is only 52% of the drag it sees in flight. Also, the Insight is operating in ground effect. Its drag coefficient would be lower if the road weren't blocking the flow of air.