This Travel App Will Plant a Tree for Every Flight Booked

In an effort to mitigate the impact of flying on climate change, a flight organizing app is pledging to plant a tree for every flight booked with the app as well as giving users a carbon calculator so they know the true impact of their flight.

The initiative by App in the Air will plant a tree for each flight booked through a partnership with One Tree Planted, a nonprofit that allows people to plant trees all over the world, including North America, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The initiative will also include a carbon calculator, based on things like flight distance and the aircraft model.

And although an uptick in rail travel emerged as people are opting for train rides instead of a flight to reduce their carbon footprint, App in the Air is looking at another way they can help without causing people to feel bad about flying.

“This is most definitely not about flight shaming but as frequent flyers, our community of course recognizes the environmental impact of aviation; so, we’re creating accessible tools to help flyers address long-term carbon reduction,” Bayram Annakov, the CEO and founder of App in the Air, said in a statement, adding the initiative “is a seamless way for app users to begin thinking about the impact of their flights.”

Travelers who use the app can also choose to offset their flights with a link to One Tree Planted and participate in a “‘green’ leaderboard.” Annakov said that in the last few months of 2019, travelers who used App in the Air planted more than 10,000 trees.

“Even eco-conscious people need to travel sometimes!” Diana Chaplin, the canopy director of One Tree Planted, said in a statement, adding this initiative makes it “simple for travelers to plant a tree and have a positive environmental impact for nature, people and biodiversity.”

The new initiative comes on the heels of a pledge by travel booking app Hopper in January to plant trees for all flights and hotels booked through the app. It also comes as several airlines have vowed to offset their own carbon emissions, including JetBlue, EasyJet, and Qantas.