Green Skies Ahead: Education Builds A Sustainable Aviation Industry

Sustainable aviation, technology, and customer education have joined forces to make seeing the world a less environmentally damaging activity. That’s because aviation is arguably the travel industry’s worst polluter. 

At least since the first Earth Day in 1970, travelers have understood the impact of pollution on the planet. Given a choice, families already vote for sustainable travel with their wallets, booking greener tours and activities. Since sustainable aviation is a hard to attain goal, some skip flying altogether, opting for overland travel by train.

Everyone agrees, however, that challenges like rising travel costs, overtourism and a lack of information make it difficult to know which travel options are most sustainable. Enter Travalyst, the not-for-profit organization founded by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, to make travel more sustainable. Now five years old, they are focused on developing a universal measurement tool to track travel’s carbon footprint. The Travalyst team says, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t change it.”

The Travalyst partnership with Google, Expedia, Booking, Sabre and other travel giants equals a $3 trillion coalition of brands working to change how we travel.

Let’s look at advancements in sustainable aviation that help keep our environment healthier.

Airlines Commit to Net Zero Emissions by 2050

While travel and tourism represent 10% of the world’s GDP, the industry is also responsible for 10% of global emissions, Travalyst CEO Sally Davey acknowledges.

At present, aviation alone is responsible for an estimated 3% of travel’s global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The growth in long-haul travel could increase that figure to 40% by the year 2050 says PhocusWire. Making aviation more sustainable is the only option.

The airlines’ stated goal is to be 100% green by 2050 by moving beyond traditional carbon offsets. United and other airlines are betting on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), hydrogen-electric engines, electric planes and using eVTOLs as air taxis to help them get there.

Airlines Under Pressure Now to Clean Up Their Environmental Act

Most reports scold the airlines for not doing enough to lessen their carbon footprint. Yet, all acknowledge the challenges and expense the aviation industry faces.

“Envisioning Tourism in 2030” from UK’s The Travel Foundation, takes a different approach to sustainable aviation. Their scenario to achieve net zero by 2050 is simply, as teen activist Greta Thonberg champions, a reduction in long-haul flights. To maintain the travel industry’s post-pandemic growth spurt, analysts recommend that tourist boards and travel companies target short-haul customers. They encourage governments to invest in greener forms of transport and the travel industry to adopt them.

Until airlines advance decarbonization, they suggest long-haul flights (greater than 10,000 miles) be heavily taxed to curb their appeal. Meanwhile, airlines and travel businesses continue to make progress through scientific research, sustainable aviation technologies and education.

Meet TIM, The Travalyst Travel Impact Model Tool

Did you know that carbon emissions from flying vary by time of day, distance of flight, aircraft, seating configuration, plane loads, weather, type of fuel, and many other factors? TIM, the Travel Impact Model, is a system Google developed that accurately estimates emissions on a per-flight, per-passenger basis. Travalyst has supported the development of that model and helped to drive adoption throughout the whole industry. They report that TIM emissions data has been seen on over 65 billion searches worldwide.

TIM fuels Travalyst’s goal to bring data into the mainstream, in a consistent way, at the point of booking. Educated consumers can now see the carbon emissions of one flight v. another. They can make the right choice by selecting a lower carbon footprint route. Applying these tools to the large and lucrative corporate travel segment is the latest achievement for the Travalyst coalition.

Sabre Works With Travalyst To Educate Travel Professionals

Sabre is the huge global travel technology company most travelers have never heard of. Their software is used by hundreds of airlines, hospitality businesses, and thousands of travel agencies. Jessica Matthias, Sabre’s Global Sustainability Director, estimated at Climate Week 2024 that Sabre powers about $700 million in flight bookings and $122 million in hotel transactions.

When customers use Google Flights or travel professionals search Sabre, they now see the carbon footprint of each flight thanks to TIM. While the airlines rush to overhaul operations, aircraft, and fuel to get to net zero emissions by 2050, Sabre is empowering corporate travel managers and consumers to help reduce carbon emissions starting immediately. Education is the key.

Sabre’s newest refinement of TIM adds context to emissions data. Shoppers can filter travel options to make better environmental choices. Additionally, they are working on quantifying the carbon footprint of past flights so corporations can accurately measure their business travel impact.

Matthias noted that by using TIM data, Sabre travel managers can steer employees to significantly less polluting flights. Sabre analysts estimate a potential carbon reduction of 10% at their own company when employees book lower emission, same-day flight alternatives. That’s huge.

Corporate Travelers Have An Outsize Environmental Impact

The Global Business Travel Association educates the many voices of corporate travel, including suppliers, travel managers, and CEOs who are facing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and disclose their net zero progress.

Their new TIM dashboard allows GBTA members to track the environmental impact of employee travels and adjust them to fall within company guidelines.

As corporate travel adjusts to line up with net zero goals, this affects suppliers of air and hospitality who are rated on their environmental impact. AT GBTA, they believe that if corporate travelers send the right signals, suppliers will invest in sustainable aviation and other environmentally friendly products.

United Educates The Public in a Relatable Way  

Meet Sesame Street‘s Oscar the Grouch, United Airlines’ first Chief Trash Officer. Travelers learn from him how garbage, made into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), fuels the future of air travel.

As every kid knows, the furry green Oscar has lived in a garbage can for nearly 30 years. He/she/it stars in a multimedia campaign that follows they from a job listing into a C-suite office alongside real United employees. Traveling families love the short videos, billboards and social media posts showing Oscar the Grouch at work. The win-win collaboration extends to supporting Sesame Workshop by enabling travelers to donate miles towards their global mission.

Additionally, United invests in alternate propulsion technologies and start-ups focused on decarbonizing air travel by accelerating the research, production and technologies associated with sustainable aviation fuels.

Understanding Sustainable Aviation Fuels: SAF & Hydrogen

SAF is an alternative to conventional jet fuel now made from used cooking oil and agricultural waste. SAF currently must be blended with conventional jet fuel to meet regulatory requirements for use within aircraft. The blend, therefore, on a lifecycle basis, reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with air travel compared to conventional jet fuel alone.

Currently, SAF represents less than 0.1% of United’s overall fuel use. That use is growing, however, partially due to Illinois’ SAF tax credits that encouraged United to bring sustainable aviation fuel to Chicago O’Hare, one of the largest airports in the U.S. In the future, SAF could be made from other feedstocks including household trash or forest waste. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the country’s feedstock is enough to meet the projected SAF demand of the entire U.S. aviation industry.

Hydrogen gas may soon be a viable sustainable power source. Austrian Airlines is trialing H2Genset, an innovative hydrogen generator from TEST-FUCHS (an Austrian based company.) The emission-free power supply is being tested at Vienna Airport while doing plane maintenance. Project partners are building expertise for the possible future use of hydrogen as a mobile energy supply at the airport.

Lufthansa and Aircraft Manufacturers Work Towards Sustainable Aviation

Of course, several carriers, especially in European countries, are making net-zero commitments and investing in new technology.

The Lufthansa Group announced their order for 108 state-of-the-art, long-haul aircraft. The multi-year delivery includes Airbus A350-1000, Airbus A350-900, Boeing 787-9 and Boeing 777-9 planes. More fuel-efficient, the aircraft consume 2.5 liters of fuel per passenger per 100 kms. That figure represents some 30% less than predecessor aircraft types.

They are, Lufthansa says, the quietest and most economical long-haul aircraft in the air.

Sustainable Aviation Gets Boost from the Federal Government

Tax credits and incentives for clean energy and carbon capture were also part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The bill includes climate change investments that are expected to grow the infrastructure for SAF use. Alaska Airlines is one that plans to take advantage of SAF to reduce its carbon emissions to net zero by 2040. At present, passengers note that on-board water is delivered in boxes rather than single use plastics. In-flight food waste is composted too.

Similarly, the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act required the Department of Defense military aircraft to use a jet fuel blend containing at least 10% SAF by 2028.

What’s The Sustainable Traveler To Do?

How do you become the sustainable travelers you want to be?

Use the available tools next time you book flights, says Travalyst. Make an informed decision on the least polluting flight option. There is no such thing as sustainable aviation today, but data can help us make better choices.  

Even Oscar the Grouch would say things are looking up for sustainable aviation.