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American Airlines Blasted For Five-Passenger Trip Across Atlantic |
5 Comments |
| By Michael d'Estries in Climate Change, Peak Oil, Pollution, Transportation, Travel | March 5, 2008 | ||
While private jets zooming around with one or two people on board is not surprising, an American Airlines flight with only five passengers from Chicago to London is. The Boeing 777 used 22,000 gallons of fuel to make the flight and the airline is now being accused of “reckless behaviour” by green lobby groups. From the article,
The latest “eco- scandal” flight took place on February 9 after American was forced to cancel one of its four daily services from Chicago to London. While it was able to find places for nearly all the passengers on the fully-booked flight, five still had to be accommodated. Those who did fly were upgraded to the business class cabin. But while they enjoyed lavish hospitality, the airline was accused of an “obscene waste of fuel” by Friends of the Earth.
It is estimated that each passenger on board produced 43 tons of CO2. To put that in perspective, it’s estimated that the average American has a carbon footprint of between 8-10 tons per year. The flight cost AA roughly $60K, but the airline insists it had no choice due to westbound passengers in London waiting for the flight to arrive. Friends of the Earth spokesperson Richard Dyer thinks differently,
“Flying virtually empty planes is an obscene waste of fuel. Through no fault of their own , each passenger’s carbon footprint for this flight is about 45 times what it would have been if the plane had been full. Governments must stop granting the aviation industry the unfair privileges that allow this to happen by taxing aviation fuel and including emissions from aviation in international agreements to tackle climate change.”
via the telegraph
Abhi said,
If they would have canceled the flight, the return flight would have also been canceled. This translates into -> All passenger on the return flight being re-accommodated on later flights. This would result in – Obscene delays (consider the possibility of staying in London for 3-4 days).
Consider this ->
If you are going to pick up 4 kids from school, don’t you drive the van alone to their school to pick them up?
MSC said,
Carbon footprint. Give me a break. Watch your economy and life come to a grinding halt when you get your wish and the airlines stop flying. Go back to the 19th century. The science to back up your notions that we are destroying the earth is specious.
Lola said,
Need to look at the big picture. What is in the belly? Could it be cargo, could it be mail? That is were there profit is. Believe it or not, mail takes priority even over baggage and, dare I say it, passengers. It is not one aircraft per flight. Depending on the market and routing, it could equate to 10 – 12 flights for the day. I say go after the companies that don’t give the consumer an economic insentive to reduse. Why is it more per ounce to buy refills?
76021USA said,
Airplanes fly rountrip. How many were in London waiting for the aircraft to arrive for the trip back to the USA. Most likely it was a full return otherwise money losing AA would have cancelled the flight.
George Hills said,
Lola is right, the belly of the plane was probably stuffed with cargo which is extremely profitable.