More Air Travelers Tracking Carbon Footprints

Apps calculating carbon emissions grow in use; industry embraces green initiatives

By Stacey Federoff

Published February 10, 2020

Read Time: 3 mins

Print/Download

A survey of British citizens found that 42 percent believe the price of an airline ticket should reflect the environmental impact that flying causes, even if it makes air travel more expensive.

But the British Department for Transport also found that only 17 percent of the survey takers said they were willing to reduce their air travel to reduce the impact of climate change.

Those results suggest that while travelers are concerned about climate change, they’re also looking for ways to reduce carbon emissions related to their travel.

Luckily, they’re getting help from airports, airlines and the travel industry.

Airports are increasingly focusing on environmental initiatives. Boston Logan International Airport has wind turbines on its office roof, and Denver International Airport installed a giant solar power array. Pittsburgh International Airport became the first airport to join the 2030 District Challenge, a national environmental initiative, and last year announced plans to become the first airport in the world to be completely powered by its own microgrid, fueled in part by 8,000 solar panels across eight acres.

Airlines in the U.S. and around the world have launched efforts to help reduce the amount of carbon emissions from commercial flights using everything from state-of-the-art technology to ultra-efficient operations to buying carbon offsets that fund environmental projects.

The International Air Travel Association reports that more than 30 member airlines have introduced programs to help offset carbon emissions via integrated fees in online ticket-selling platforms or through a third-party provider.

Information reduces stress

Travel app developers and other ticket sellers are helping air passengers be more proactive about sustainability.

FlyGrn.com uses a ticket fee to fund solar panel construction projects in India, while travel-organizing app TripIt recently introduced a feature to show the carbon footprint of each flight a user tracks.

The developers sought to bring the app “as much functionality as we can that will help reduce stress for the traveler,” said Jen Moyse, director of product at TripIt. “We decided we’re not interested in making any judgments, but because we knew so many of our travelers were interested in understanding that impact … it just seemed like a natural fit to add some carbon footprint data.”

Travel-organizing app, TripIT, displays information on the carbon footprint of flights. (Image courtesy of TripIT)

The app calculates a flight’s impact based on distance, flight class and environmental elements, then provides context (“That’s equivalent to powering 385 homes for 1 year”). The app also suggests ways to offset those emissions, such as flying economy, taking nonstop flights or considering carpooling or train travel.

The app has worked through a few bugs, but user reviews have gen