What's Up in the Air | Travel + Leisure

What's Up in the Air

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When airline mogul Richard Branson pledged last September to invest $3 billion worth of profits from his Virgin transport companies into renewable energy over the next 10 years, he signaled a shift in the dominant thinking about climate change. While politicians and industry leaders were scrambling to avoid discussing the effects of emissions from fossil fuels, Branson was sniffing out the opportunity for new business.

A few months later, Branson's proclamation—which included his proposal to reduce significant on-the-ground CO2 emissions by towing aircraft to the runways—is still reverberating throughout the industry. Although it may be years before Branson's freshly launched Virgin Fuels finds a renewable alternative to the gasoline used by jetliners, the industry may be poised to make significant efficiency gains soon—that is, if regulatory barriers and special interest groups can be moved out of the way.

The very idea of air travel still seems modern, but in practice, planes in the United States and Europe use outdated navigation technology and aging equipment. According to the Air Transport Association of America, if the FAA updated its ground-based air traffic–control system to a more sophisticated, digital, satellite-based program, airlines could follow much more efficient routes, reducing fuel consumption by 10 to 15 percent, and eliminating millions of tons of CO2. The FAA has upgraded some of its technology in recent years but has yet to commit to a complete overhaul.

Even the optimistic Branson was careful to hedge his investment over a 10-year period, and many analysts wonder if a commercial jetliner will ever fly on a bio-based fuel. But the airline industry continues to make incremental progress toward decreasing emissions. GEnx, GE's next-generation jet engine, expected to roll out in 2008, is made from titanium, carbon fiber, and epoxy resin and will be 15 percent more fuel-efficient than current models. Average fuel efficiency for domestic carriers has improved by 44 percent since 1990, and some are using lighter food carts and shedding trash compactors and in-flight phones to decrease weight. That may sound small, but consider this: Alaska Airlines found that by removing just five magazines per aircraft, it could save $10,000 per year in fuel costs. Sometimes a little goes a long way.

—Aaron Clark

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