Are budget airlines the greener option?

Delegates at this week’s UN Climate Change conference in Copenhagen should look more closely at low-cost airlines when discussing the impact of flights on climate change, says travel search engine Liligo.co.uk.

By choosing to take low cost budget flights, instead of business class on traditional airlines, they could be reducing their own flight carbon footprint by over 30%.

Analysis from Liligo.co.uk claims that low-cost airlines offer a lower carbon footprint to travellers due to a number of factors:

- Budget airlines fit more seats in their planes. For instance, easyJet’s fleet mainly comprises of Airbus 320 aircraft fitted with 180 seats. The standard Airbus 320 configuration comprises of 150 seats, whereas British Airways using the same aircraft have them fitted with 134 seats (in a two-class configuration).

- Budget airlines fill more seats thanks to lower prices. In the 12 months running up to September 2009, the yield factor for easyJet was around 85%. The average for BA on European routes was around 75%.

- Budget airlines have newer planes; hence they are able to enjoy the fuel efficiency gains of modern engines. The average fleet age for Ryanair is under 3 years whereas the average age of BA’s fleet is over 3 times older.

Gbenga Kogbe, UK Manager, Liligo.co.uk, commented: “For a long time the popularity of low-cost airlines has been attacked by environmental campaigners, but our analysis reveals that low-budget airlines are conveying passengers with a lower carbon footprint than many other airlines. Interestingly, their drive for cost-savings also makes these airlines far more carbon efficient.”

Gbenga Kogbe concludes: “Our analysis shows that the environmental stigma of budget travel may be unwarranted. Not only do budget carriers operate more efficiently, travel search engines like Liligo.co.uk can inform travellers of the environmental impact of their journey - integrating carbon footprints alongside prices in search results. Travel deal hunters can now assess both the financial and environmental costs of travelling with low cost airlines, traditional airlines and charter flight companies. While seeking the best travel prices, they can consider CO2 too.”