Google is rolling out a way for users to search for the "greener" flight options. The new search feature tells users which flights actually give off less carbon emissions. Users will now be able to choose flights based on how green they are and how much carbon emission they give off.
Carbon Dioxide Based
According to GlobalNews.ca, a basic flight search will show how many kg of carbon dioxide a flight will spew from the start of the flight to the finish. Users can then simply prioritize their search based on emissions, just like price, if they choose.
Flights that have emissions below the given median will be highlighted in green. Google noted that the estimates are actually a combination of data coming from the European Environmental Agency as well as flight-specific information that they get from airlines as well as other providers.
New Google Flight Search Tool
The data could also include the aircraft's age, model, and its configuration, speed, and altitude that it flies at as well as the distance between both the flight's origin as well as its destination. A number of flights might not really have estimates due to the lack of data given or other missing information.
The company also noted that the estimates do not yet take into account the direction that a plane is heading to. This is actually a potentially significant factor if flying into or even without the jet stream or whether or not the flight is making use of biofuels or maybe some other alternatives.
Boeing 737 and Other Flights
Through the use of a new tool, the least polluting flights coming from Washington D.C. towards Chicago are all Boeing 737s by United. The 128kg of carbon dioxide, or about 282lbs, falls 21% below the median, as also reported by USNews.
A certain American Airlines flight using another Boeing 737 from San Francisco all the way to New York while stopping in Dallas would emit 535kgs of carbon dioxide, which is 9% less compared to the median for that particular route. A number of stops can also often result in an increase in emission, but this is not always the case.
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Initiative Towards Less Pollution
Non-stop flights are not always considered less polluting, especially on longer routes. Google notes that a more fuel-efficient plane will be able to emit less on a multiple-stop journey compared to an older plane with a non-stop route. United Airlines has just laid off 593 people for their violation of the company's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which is strictly in effect.
Airplanes actually account for a small portion of emissions responsible for causing climate change at about 2% to 3%. Their share, however, has been growing rapidly and is also expected to roughly triple by mid-century along with the global growth in travel. Rolls-Royce is also aiming to go green by developing an electric plane capable of going 300mph.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
