On a recent holiday weekend flight between two West Coast cities, I thought about the thoughtful and harmful things my travel companion and I had done in regards to the environment the day we traveled. We’d recycled, turned down our thermostats, and taken public transportation to San Francisco International Airport (whose low-flow toilets and green rental car program get industry kudos). But we also threw out Styrofoam cups, idled on a runway while our plane wasted fuel, and were picked up in an SUV. Could we have been more conscientious about the effect our travel choices have on the planet?
It’s no surprise that flights were the most negatively impactful part of our trip. Fortunately, research into more efficient engines and alternative fuels has been promising in the past few years, and travelers now face more options when it comes to choosing airlines with sustainable business practices. Although major policy and research decisions on air travel efficiency are out of the hands of most consumers, we can positively impact where the industry is headed through our choice of carriers.
Green Good Deeds: Choosing Airlines Beyond Fares
A few airlines have demonstrated leadership and commitment to eco-friendlier travel through their use of alternative fuels over long distance flights and willingness to work with one another. Some have also made a splash with their research and use of sustainable biofuels—fuels made from biological material high in sugar and oil—that are different from the fossil fuels currently being tapped out. The Central American airline NatureAir, the first certified carbon-neutral airline, runs its ground vans with biofuel created from cooking oil to protect forests in Southern Costa Rica where it operates. Although foreign airlines have received the most media attention for green good deeds (for example, British Airways’ sustainable biofuel research partnership with engine maker Rolls Royce and Emirates Airline’s longest green flight between San Francisco and Dubai), several domestic carriers deserve a nod for their environmental efforts.
Southwest Airlines
After working to save $42 million in fuel in 2008 by extending each flight by one to three minutes (slowing down improves engine efficiency and ultimately saves fuel, just like it does for drivers), Southwest’s cross-departmental green team pushed for more environmental and profit-friendly innovation by introducing employee ride-share programs on the ground and adding winglets to the end of plane wings to save nearly 30 million gallons of jet fuel annually. As part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Blue Skyways Collaborative, the airline also works to voluntarily reduce its emissions and share technological expertise with other service companies.
