American Airlines' 5 passenger 'eco-sin'
If I were an airline executive charged with making the decision to fly a Boeing 777 across the Atlantic carrying only 5 passengers, I sure wouldn't want anyone to find out about it -- but someone did. According to the Telegraph, American Airlines decided to go ahead with a seriously under-booked flight from Chicago to London in February and the feedback they're getting from environmentalists is nothing short of total outrage. The company's latest eco-sin puts them at the center of the debate about air travel and its disproportionate carbon emissions. In their defense, American Airlines burned the 22,000 gallons of jet-fuel in the name of customer service -- I guess that's the best thing I can say about it. Apparently, the airline had canceled a London bound flight earlier in the day and had found seats for all of the passengers except the 5, which were upgraded to business class on a totally empty plane. Why didn't they put them in first class then?
A representative from American said that they considered canceling the flight, "however, this would have left a plane load of west-bound passengers stranded in London Heathrow who were due to fly back to the US on the same aircraft." Interestingly enough, this news comes days after activists climbed onto Virgin's 1st-ever biofuel flight, protesting a 3rd runway at Heathrow.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-06-2008 @ 6:54PM
Peter Zamoyski said...
Let's just shutdown ALL Airlines, since they are causing such HUGH carbon footprint. Yeah a whopping 2% of world carbon discharge in te world is caused by Avaition, this compares to 10-20 times the amount automobiles expel. Let's get real people, this entire "controversy" over American Airlines operating an aircraft from Chicago to London is a complete crook of crap.
The idiots and I MEA IDIOTS, that a screaming bloody murder are just trying to justify thier existence. Yeah right, let's tax to death the Airline industry. An industry that provides for MILLIONS of jobs around the world, let's put them put them out of business, the moron that suggests just "tax them" will be, I am sure (NOT), to provide economically for the employees left jobless.
And yes, I am in the Aviation industry and yes I DO understand the business and unfortunately the Airlines have left themselves exposed to the ignorant ravings of people that do not understand the industry, its role in the WORLD economy and their real carbon footprint exposure.
Oh, I guess the idiot that screamed bloody murder because of the 5 passenger eastbound flight, wouldhave been more than happy to have the 300 passengers left stranded at HEathrow, if AA had not operated the flight, at his/her home until they could fly to the USA.
GET REAL PEOPLE - KNOW WAT THE HELL YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE WRITTING STUPIDITIES!
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3-06-2008 @ 8:39PM
Dan Clauser said...
I wonder who used more carbon? American airlines 5 passenger Chicago/London or all the "ambassodors of green" at the Global Warming Summit a few months back? What a bunch of hypocrites!!
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3-07-2008 @ 9:47AM
Tim said...
The last time i checked, it was physically impossible to create more waste in total than the fuel consimed whatever it may be, oil, wood, coal... So how could 62 tons of Jet A grade fuel create 178 tons of carbon, as this story states. incredible!
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3-07-2008 @ 3:49PM
Karsten said...
It is a good sign that some airline officials feel (at least publicly) guilty about flying an almost empty plane across the Atlantic. It is a good sign that some people thought it would be worth pointing out that it was done anyways. We need those feelings in order to change something. Irresponsible behavior should be called irresponsible. It is a bad sign that some people still think preserving comfort and the North American economy (I assume to ensure continued decadent level of lifestyle) is more important than avoiding such damaging actions to the one place we all need.
Go pollute your own planet! You can spell - why can't you reason?
If the environment gets violated at such levels to avoid inconveniencing people something should be said. The time of unrestricted customer service is coming to an end. You just wait and see how it will be in 10 years or so. People will consider you out of your mind if you suggested doing such a wasteful trip. Most likely it will be criminal by then.
And the time of furthering an economy that functions only if poor people, foreign powerless nations, future generations, and the human habitat can be abused is coming to an end as well. Good I say. Better some difficulties now than catastrophic suffering in a few decades.
Hopefully those attitude changes become more prevalent before we have eaten all up there is to eat on this planet.
Karsten
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http://www.polluteless.com
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Living on Earth:
Sufficient resources - Wasteful existence - 6.5 Billion humans; Preserve two and abandon the third.
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