By Dela Ahiawor (sustainability editor)
The reluctance or being ashamed to travel by air, because of noxious aviation emissions known as
Flygskam (Flight shame) is gaining traction, but business class travellers don’t care about their carbon footprint.
New study reveals that 1 in 2 first or business-class travellers have the highest carbon emissions – a primary driver of climate change – but don’t care about their carbon footprint (amount of carbon emissions associated with their travel.)
Jonathan Merry, CEO of MoneyTransfers.com in a statement to DEL REPORT said: “Forcing monumental change within an industry as mammoth as the aviation sector starts with the grassroots, and if the passengers funding the largest percentage of airlines profits aren’t strongly-minded regarding greener travel, then it seems unlikely that airlines will move with much haste. What seems to be key here is that airlines find that crucial balance between greener ways to fly while still keeping their price points attractive to their most affluent customers.”
According to the new study:
1 in 2 British First or Business class travellers don’t care about their carbon footprint: In comparison, just 21% of the Great British population surveyed say the same
First class tickets have the highest emissions: A first-class ticket on a longhaul flight can have as much as nine times more carbon emissions than an economy ticket on first-class flights
Price remains a top concern: 70% of Brits who have flown first or business class in the past year don’t mind paying for greener flights, provided they are cheap.
An estimated 80% of the world’s population are unable to fly at all – with an even smaller percentage of those remaining able to afford a first class flight averagely between ($3000-$12000).
The choice to fly first-class is also a choice to have a higher carbon footprint. The International Council on Clean Transportation estimated carbon emissions on business class ticket to be 2.6 to 4.3 times more than economy class ticket.
www.delreport.com
