I'm not sure why you compare this to airplanes. Airplanes fuel consumption is very expensive if the plane is empty relative to profit. They need to put bums in seats for the flight to be viable commercially.
On the other hand, a flat out rack takes more power than an idle one. So this isn't the same thing at all.
Yeah, the GP comment is so dumb. Most commercial aircraft are owned by a few leasing companies. They would love if lessors didn't fly the aircraft, but paid leasing fees!
On the other hand, a flat out rack takes more power than an idle one. So this isn't the same thing at all.