Carbon friendly flight search launches

07 April 2009

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Leading independent carbon management specialists, The Carbon Consultancy and global meta search specialists Global Travel Market, in association with FlySmart.org have launched Carbon Friendly Flight Search, the first flight search tool to enable flyers to factor carbon efficiency into their flight purchasing/choice, whilst finding the best fares for their flight.The Carbon Friendly Flight Search web based tool enables travellers to search for a flight and receive information on the best price, agents and airlines, in addition to carbon rankings for airlines based upon fleet efficiency. The Carbon Friendly Flight Search also discriminates between direct and indirect flight options and shows travellers the relationship between price and carbon efficiency. Travellers will be able to isolate the cheapest and most efficient flight options.

The carbon emissions data that supports the Carbon Friendly Flight Search is based upon the same principle as emissions bands used in the licensing of UK cars. It combines the fleets of major airlines with aircraft fuel consumption data from the EMEP/CORINAIR database, which is used by DEFRA to support their aviation emissions reporting guidelines. The Carbon Friendly Flight Search database includes all ranked jet aircraft in the short and long haul fleets of included airlines, using a standard seating configuration to assess emissions per available seat per plane and support the overall rankings.

Commenting on the launch of the Carbon Friendly Flight Search, Carbon Consultancy CEO, Hugo Kimber said, “Consumers are very interested in tools that enable them to make informed choices to help reduce their impact from travel, as opposed to being invited to just offset emissions. The Carbon Friendly Flight Search supports the need for us to balance the very real benefits of aviation with its environmental impact and educating travellers is a key part of achieving this balance. The new tool supports our existing work on travel industry engagement with environmental impact management and we look forward to further developing the sophistication of this approach.”

Dave Simmons CEO of Global Travel Market added “ The development and deployment of the Carbon Friendly Flight Search is part of the continued commitment by GTM to help inform and educate travellers. GTM were the first flight meta search provider to include a carbon emissions value in every search result and believe strongly that consumers must be given choices and education in travel purchasing beyond just price.”

The Carbon Friendly Flight Search engine is an essential part of the FlySmart www.flysmart.org campaign which encourages people to fly less and if they must fly, to do so morecarbon efficiently. The Carbon Friendly Flight Search engine enables passengers to choose the option which reduces theirgreenhouse gas emissions and encourages increased airline efficiency based upon demand by passengers for carbon efficiency. Carbon Philanthropy provides a non-profit alternative to carbon offsetting, providing you with a choice of initiatives which address the causes of climate change or assist communities to adapt to climate change, change caused in part by our travel.

Professor Harold Goodwin, Responsible Travel Adviser to The Carbon Consultancy noted “ This is an important first step in the delivery of environmental and social impact data to consumers to help them make choices that will combine all the impacts from travel. This tool is an important first step and is supported by practical guidance to travellers on reducing impact from flying at an individual level. Actual impact from flights will, like cars, depend upon exactly how equipment is used but even at this level, simple choices can make a big difference.”

The Carbon Friendly Flight Search is available to companies as a white label widget without charge and the launch partners hope it will further establish the strengthening link between the environmental concerns of travellers and their purchasing habits.