JetBlue will start offsetting carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) from jet fuel for all of its domestic flights beginning in July 2020.
The airline has been covering carbon offsets for flyers during specific promotions.
But with this new announcement JetBlue says it will become the first major U.S. airline to move towards covering carbon offsets fulltime.
JetBlue
currently works with Carbonfund.org, a U.S. based nonprofit carbon reduction
and climate solutions organization, on offsets. And with this expansion, JetBlue
expects to offset an additional 15-17 billion pounds (7 to 8 million metric
tons) of emissions per year.
That, says JetBlue, is the annual equivalent of removing more than 1.5 million passenger vehicles from the road.
There’s more.
JetBlue also announced plans to start flying with sustainable aviation fuel in mid-2020 on flights from San Francisco International Airport.
BWI shows its support for the Baltimore Ravens playoff run
And check out this great amenity from Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) in Madison, WI.
The airport not only has short story dispensers in the terminal, it has loaner books for kids.
Raise your hand if our childrenâs books have traveled more than you in 2019 ââđ . If you fly out of MSN with children make sure to grab a childrenâs book right next to our story machine! Take them on your journey, add your trip to the log, then return them for others to enjoy! pic.twitter.com/nBZmUJniwQ
Our story about airports and airlines getting rid of single-use plastics first appeared on CNBC.
Business and leisure travelers concerned about climate
change and âflight shameâ may do their part by purchasing carbon offsets and adjusting
the number of trips they take on airplanes.
Airports and airlines are trying to save the planet too with
a wide range of sustainable initiatives that include cutting down the use of
single-use plastics and making reusable water bottles essential travel amenities.
BYOB at SFO Airport
In 2019, San
Francisco International Airport (SFO), launched an ambitious Zero Waste
Concessions Program designed to significantly reduce the amount of single-use
disposable plastics used at the airport.
Noting that in 2018 nearly four million slow-to-biodegrade plastic
water bottles were sold at the airport, in August 2019 SFO became the first
airport in the nation to ban the sale of single-use plastic water bottles.
SFO now actively encourages each passenger to bring their
own reusable water bottle with them to the airport and get free water from one
of the hydration stations in the terminals.
Bottled sodas, teas and juices are currently exempt from the
policy. And bottled water is still being sold, but only in approved packaging made
from recyclable aluminum or glass, or in compostable packaging.
Single-use plastics banned at other airports too
Airports in a growing number of other cities in the United States, and around the world, are getting serious about sustainability projects that are good for the environment and, in some cases, the bottom line.
âWhether through their participation in the Airport Carbon Accreditation program, implementation of more sustainable business practices, or even by the elimination of drinking straws and other single-use plastics, airports are taking a variety of approaches to be good neighbors in their communities,â said Scott Elmore, Vice President, Communications & Marketing for Airports Council International â North America
In February 2019, Glasgow
Airport offered all 5,300 people working in an around the airport free,
reusable bottles.
In September 2019, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
(DFW) announced a campaign to phase out all single-use plastic straws at the
airport.
đ„€đ Starting today, we're phasing out plastic straws in the Airport. Learn more about the impact single-use plastic straws and this initiative specifically will have on the environment with this short video. pic.twitter.com/0e4sFqHqgN
In October 2019, the Airports
Authority of India (AAI) announced that at least 55 airports in the country
had banned single-use plastic items such as straws, plastic cutlery and plastic
plates.
Over and above 35 AAI airports that were declared 'Single-use Plastic Free,' 20 more AAI airports have joined the crusade. AAI is committed to preserve the environment and do its bit. #AAICarespic.twitter.com/otAHbr5O7R
And January 1, 2020, is the deadline for Dubaiâs two airports, Dubai International Airport (DBX) â the worldâs busiest airport for international travelers â and Dubai World Central Airport (DWC) to be entirely free of single-use plastics such as plastic cutlery, drinking straws, meal packaging and bags.
âAlong with our partners, including
global brands such as McDonalds, Costa Coffee and Starbucks, we are committed
to not only removing single-use plastics but in their place providing
appropriate and importantly sustainable alternatives,â said Eugene Barry, Dubai
Airportâs Executive Vice President â Commercial, in a statement.
Barry says finding
replacements for plastic bottles remains a challenge for the airports, so for
now bottle recycling efforts are being beefed up.
Change is coming. Find out how Dubai Airports and its partners are preparing for the pledge to ban single-use plastics at the worldâs busiest international airport,@DXB.đ pic.twitter.com/nUqJzBk5Rh
Going forward, a bill passed by the Atlanta City Council and waiting for the mayorâs approval is set to ban single-use plastics in the city and at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) by the end of 2020. Following the new law shouldnât be too much of a reach: ATLâs guidelines for increased sustainability already seek to divert 90% of the airportâs total waste from landfills.
Not all airports are nixing the plastic water bottles,
though.
In its food court, Portland
International Airport (PDX) eliminates a great deal of plastic with its Green
Plate Program that gives travelers the option of having meals served on
reusable plates with reusable utensils.
But the airportâs environmental team hasnât pressed to impose
a ban on plastic bottles because ânot every traveler chooses to tote around
what can sometimes be a very expensive refillable bottle,â said PDX spokesperson
Kama Simonds, âFurther, what if
travelers to our airport were unaware of the ban? This could have unintended
consequences of either leaving folks with less hydration and/or potentially
having a sugary drink as the option, which isnât healthy.â
Airport vendors and airlines doing their part
HMSHost, which operates dining
venues in more than 120 airports around the world, says it is on track to honor
its commitment to eliminate plastic straws in its North American operations by
the end of 2020.
The company has already eliminated plastic
cocktail stirrers and currently only provides straws on request in its casual
dining restaurants.
In September, Alaska Airlines kicked off a âFillBeforeYouFlyâ
initiative, asking passengers to help reduce the use of single-use plastic
bottles inflight by bringing their reusable water bottles to the airport and
filling them at airport hydrations stations before their flight.
In November, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) introduced sustainable
meal packaging that includes paper with a coating made of organic
plant-based plastic instead of oil-based plastic as well as cutlery made of
plant-based plastic.
And earlier this year, Air
New Zealand removed individual plastic water bottles
from its Business Premier and Premium Economy cabins and switched to compostable plant-based coffee cups
made from paper and corn instead of plastic.
The airline is encouraging passengers to bring their
own reusable cups on board aircraft and into lounges. And, in a truly tasty
move, ANZ is running a test program to serve coffee and ice-cream in edible,
vanilla-flavored cups made by New Zealand-based twiice.
The Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu is taking major steps forward in sustainability just in time for Earth Day, which is coming up on April 22.
As
part of a major energy-savings project for the airport, 2,980 photovoltaic
panels are now installed on the 5th floor of the Terminal 2 (formerly the
Overseas Terminal) garage.
Last year, 4,260 solar panels were installed on the 7th floor of the airportâs Terminal 1 parking garage.
“The completion of this phase of photovoltaic panel installation, along with the previous improvements, will reduce the airportâs electric bill by nearly half.â said Hawaii Department of Transportation Director Jade Butay.
HDOT
is working with Johnson
Controls Inc. on a major energy savings project that includes replacing nearly 98,000 light fixtures with
high-efficiency light-emitting diode (LED) technology and energy efficient
lighting, upgrading ventilation and air-conditioning systems and installing
more than 24,000 solar photovoltaic panels.
Given all the sunshine in Hawaii, harnessing solar power at HNL airport makes perfect sense!
Meanwhile, Hawaiian Airlines and Carbon Lighthouse, a clean energy services company, are working together on a pilot energy-saving project at the Hawaiian Airlines Airport Center, located near the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
Hawaiian Airlines bought the 14-story office building â famous for its iconic whale murals â in 2016 and leases some of the space to tenants and occupying about 20,000 square feet for office space.
To make the building more energy efficient, Carbon
Lighthouse is deploying sensors throughout Airport Center to collect data on
everything from air and water temperature and flow rates in HVAC equipment to
lighting and occupancy.
Using that information, plus weather, utility
and other data, Carbon Lighthouse will identify way to reduce waste and
optimize the energy use of the building.
Get bonus United Airlines miles for donating cash to fight California wildfires
United Airlines has launched a fundraising campaign to support the people and organizations responding to the wildfires in California.
If you contribute at least $50 youâll not only help raise funds for the campaign; youâll get some bonus airline miles.
Hereâs the deal:
United is offering MileagePlus members bonus award miles for making cash contributions of $50 or more to the three disaster relief charities listed below. The airline has set aside 5 million miles for the offer and will match contributions made to the campaign up to a total of $50,000.
Donate $50 to $99 and earn 250 bonus miles
Donate $100 to $249 and earn 500 bonus miles
Donate $250 or more and earn $1000 bonus miles
The charities that will benefit from your donation to this campaign are:
All these organizations are doing incredible work. Hereâs some information from Airlink about just soe of what theyâve been doing to help with the effort:
“The Northern California wildfires are now the largest in the state’s history and United Airlines is launching a fundraising campaign to help Californians affected by the historic blaze.
Airlink is currently responding to the fires in partnership with Operation BBQ Relief. We’ve supported flights for volunteers serving 20,000+ warm meals to displaced residents and first responders.
As the fires burn through the region, Airlink continues to work with its nonprofit partners, ready to send responders or relief cargo when and where they are needed.”
The deadline for making your contribution and getting these bonus miles is August 30, 2018
64,000 Delta employees got new uniforms on May 29 and instead of sending all the old clothing to landfills the airline donated more than 350,000 pounds of clothing to Looptworks to be upcycled and repurposed.
New Zac Posen uniforms for Delta Air Lines
Delta and Looptworks plan to make backpacks, passport covers, messenger and tote bags and other accessories out of those old uniforms and begin selling them in the fall.