21st Century Regenerative Technology

1. Low carbon flights on the internet

Low carbon flights on the internet

2008-05-19 03:23

If you travel a lot, you’re probably used to visiting airline web sites and being asked whether you want to see your flights sorted by price or schedule. How would you like to sort by carbon?

Until recently, only experts in aviation emissions could track down this information. But now the public can find comparative data using TerraPass’ new aviation calculator. The results can help you choose the flight with the lowest climate impact. Here’s what I found during a check of popular U.S. air routes:

Route	Airline	Pounds of CO2*
JFK to LAX	Virgin America	1,390
	Delta	1,456
	American	1,586
	United	2,070
SFO to JFK	Delta	1,425
	Virgin America	1,450
	JetBlue	1,462
	Alaska	1,496
	American	1,530
	United	2,158
DCA to LGA	US Airways	260
	United	304
	Delta	350
	American	816
ATL to ORD	Delta	543
	United	611
	US Airways	614
	American	708
LAX to SFO	Virgin America	344
	United	351
	American	397
	Southwest	406
	Alaska	420
	Delta	798

* Per passenger, round-trip flight, economy class

The calculator takes into account aircraft type, average passenger loads, and fuel burn rates for ascents and descents. So the carbon emissions per passenger can vary widely — sometimes by a factor of two or more from lowest to highest on the same route. And across different routes, it’s not necessarily the same airline that pollutes the least. The type of aircraft and how full the planes are flying can make a particular airline a green leader for one route and among the carbon hogs for another route.

As travelers become more aware of these differences, we hope they will select flights based on which ones transport a passenger point-to-point with the least amount of carbon pollution. The cool thing for consumers is that less carbon means less fuel, which should eventually mean lower ticket prices.

Airline executives take note: TerraPass just gave your customers a tool to help them (and you) fight climate change.