A campaign, marked by hashtags such as #stayontheground and #flightshame, is pressuring travellers to think twice about the carbon impact of their air travel. Even airlines are joining in the public shaming.
Rather than waiting for these consumers to become rich enough to afford traditional airfares, Asian low-cost carriers sprung up to meet them where they were economically.A decade later, they flew 530 million seats; during that time, low-cost carriers expanded their market share from 30% to nearly 50%.
East Asia already has the world’s fastest-growing tourism industry and plane makers are salivating at the potential for more growth. The few conscientious Europeans who choose not to fly will in all likelihood be vastly outnumbered by the Asians who do, even if the latter are often flying shorter distances within the region.