Airlines to Cut U.S. Flights, Planes Suck Anyhow

Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: air travel is not mass transit. Yes, planes carry a bunch of people quickly over long distances. But planes are a far cry from a sustainable transportation solution.

As much as Carectomy dislikes cars, planes are even worse. A cross-country flight emits as much pollution per person as an average SUV driver would in several months – typical flights have three times the global warming effect as each passenger would cause by driving the same route solo in a large SUV. This latter figure reflects that pollution released at altitude is as much as three times more damaging to the atmosphere. Jet contrails add another global-warming component to the equation. The problem is getting worse, as the FAA estimates that aircraft emissions will increase by 60% by 2025.

 

USA Today recently reported that six US carriers would be cutting trips, largely in response to higher fuel costs. The net result will be 4.4% fewer seats than one year ago.

 

The rollback will lead to a 72,000 seat reduction per day within the U.S. On average, flights are currently 4/5 full with a 3% increase in travelers from 2006.

 

Not only does the reduction coincide with an increase in demand, it also matches up with ever-increasing flight delays. According to USA Today, “flight delays have reached an all-time high and the nation’s air travel system is in a state of chaos and disrepair.”

 

From USA Today:

 

The solution proposed in this follow-up article is “wayports” – intermediate airports to take the pressure off of the main hubs, where delays usually begin. However, the fact that the mainstream discussion even uses words like *gasp* “rail” as part of the solution is heartening.

 

Perhaps we should rejoice to see the unsustainable airline industry begin to flounder, and that “alternative” transportation may once again become mainstream. Airline flights will continue to have a role, but a decrease in short- to mid-distance air travel (the most damaging by far per mile) would have a significant positive impact.