Reduce Air Travel
Reducing air travel reduces climate pollution! One flight from San Francisco to New York City creates the same carbon emissions as 2 months of commuting 40 miles a day. Until we have cleaner air travel options (they are coming!) — be creative with your travel options.
Your Impact
Action Steps & Tips
Introduction
Even with significant increases in airline fuel efficiency, air travel still creates a lot of climate pollution. One flight from San Francisco to New York has the same impact as driving the average gas powered car 2,000 miles.
Sometimes air travel is important, like the long-planned vacation in Maui or going to the family reunion in Des Moines. However, sometimes there are other options that can be just as good and create much less climate pollution. They can even save you money.
We don’t have a solution for climate pollution free air travel yet, however, a lot of bright minds are working on it! We will have better options soon. Until then, think about options to fly less when you can. Read on for some ideas on alternatives!
Flying less (for now):
-
Makes a big reduction in climate and air pollution
-
Can be a great opportunity to explore and find new favorite spots locally!
-
Is a great opportunity to set up video chat to stay in touch with family even more often
1Explore your travel options - Tips for flying less
Think about your travel plans for the next year or two and consider some alternatives. Here are some ideas:
Stay local. One great way to reduce air travel is by staying at home or local. If you vacation with air travel regularly, consider turning one of those trips into a staycation. Be a local tourist in your home town! Check out all the interesting places nearby that you haven’t had a chance to explore. You will save money on both the flight and the accommodations.
An alternative idea is finding a new spot to explore relatively close by, within 100 to 200 miles. A hotel in the city or a cabin in the woods offers a change of scenery without a plane ticket.
Road trip! If your destination is between 300 and 500 miles, driving generally creates less impact than flying, especially for a family or group of 3 or more. If you are traveling solo, that trip might be best by plane.
Driving to your destination will take a bit longer than flying, but not by much! Generally, it takes about 6-7 hours to drive 400 miles. Making the same trip by air can easily take 3-4 hours when you include the time to drive to the airport, arrive early for security, and find transportation to your destination after landing. For only a couple more hours of travel time, you can make a positive impact!
Traveling with your family? Make the trip fun—play car games, set up a video for the kids in the back seat or stop at a scenic site or two on the way. Driving gives you more flexibility to decide when to leave or stop along the way. This can make travel much more relaxed, particularly with kids.
Take the bus or train. The bus has the lowest impact of all the travel options; the train comes in second. For trips of 300 to 500 miles, buses create about three less climate and air pollution per passenger. Many buses are new and have comfortable seats, WiFi, and seat back video. Check with the bus company on features before you book.
Train travel can also be very relaxing. There are many train trips that have stunning scenery. Train and bus stations also have many convenient stops in city centers and popular travel destinations. For more information check out Greyhound for bus schedules and Amtrak for train schedules.
Video chat. Video chatting with your family offers a great way to stay in touch from home. In-person time with family is priceless and no one is suggesting you don’t go visit grandma, however video chatting might be an alternative to a trip or two. Low-cost or free options like Skype, Facetime, Zoom and Google Hangouts are all ways to stay connected between in person visits. All you need is a computer with a camera or smartphone and a good internet connection. There are also new options like Portal from Facebook and the Echo from Amazon that make video chatting seem almost like you are there.
To get started, pick which app or service you want to use and ask each family member to download the app or make an account, if necessary. Check for tutorials online if any family members have trouble getting set-up.
Buy carbon offsets. If you need to fly, consider purchasing carbon offsets. For a few dollars, you can support renewable energy and other emissions reductions projects to offset emissions generated by your flight. Learn more in the Offset Air Travel action.