tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/air-travel-12837/articlesAir travel – The Conversation2024-03-15T12:10:30Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2258572024-03-15T12:10:30Z2024-03-15T12:10:30ZWhy do airlines charge so much for checked bags? This obscure rule helps explain why<p>Five out of the six <a href="https://www.oag.com/blog/biggest-airlines-in-the-us">biggest U.S. airlines</a> have <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/05/delta-is-the-latest-airline-to-raise-its-checked-bag-fee.html">raised their checked bag fees</a> since January 2024.</p>
<p>Take American Airlines. In 2023, it cost US$30 to check a standard bag in with the airline; <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2024/02/20/american-airlines-bag-fees-mileage-earning/72669245007/">today, as of March 2024, it costs $40</a> at a U.S. airport – a whopping 33% increase.</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://www.bu.edu/questrom/">business school</a> <a href="https://www.bu.edu/questrom/profile/jay-zagorsky/">professor who studies travel</a>, I’m often asked why airlines alienate their customers with baggage fees instead of bundling all charges together. <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/4/16/8431465/airlines-carry-on-bags">There are</a> <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/2023/06/21/bag-fees-will-stay-a-while-cruising-altitude/70338849007/">many reasons</a>, but an important, often overlooked cause is buried in the U.S. tax code.</p>
<h2>A tax-law loophole</h2>
<p>Airlines pay the federal government <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-26/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-49/subpart-D">7.5% of the ticket price</a> when <a href="https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/tax/library/aircraft-club-nov-2023-air-transport-excise-tax-rates-for-2024.html">flying people domestically, alongside other fees</a>. The airlines dislike these charges, with their <a href="https://www.airlines.org/dataset/government-imposed-taxes-on-air-transportation/">trade association arguing</a> that they boost the cost to the consumer of a typical air ticket by around one-fifth.</p>
<p>However, the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-26/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-49/subpart-D/section-49.4261-8">specifically excludes baggage</a> from the 7.5% transportation tax as long as “the charge is separable from the payment for the transportation of a person and is shown in the exact amount.”</p>
<p>This means if an airline charges a combined $300 to fly you and a bag round-trip within the U.S., it owes $22.50 in tax. If the airline charges $220 to fly you plus separately charges $40 each way for the bag, then your total cost is the same — but the airline only owes the government $16.50 in taxes. Splitting out baggage charges saves the airline $6.</p>
<p>Now $6 might not seem like much, but it can add up. Last year, passengers took <a href="https://www.transtats.bts.gov/Data_Elements.aspx?Data=1">more than 800 million trips on major airlines</a>. Even if only a fraction of them check their bags, that means large savings for the industry.</p>
<p>How large? The government has <a href="https://www.bts.dot.gov/topics/airlines-and-airports/baggage-fees-airline-2023">tracked revenue from bag fees</a> for decades. In 2002, airlines charged passengers a total of $180 million to check bags, which worked out to around 33 cents per passenger. </p>
<p>Today, as any flyer can attest, bag fees are a lot higher. Airlines collected over 40 times more money in bag fees last year than they did in 2002.</p>
<p>When the full data is in for 2023, <a href="https://www.bts.dot.gov/baggage-fees">total bag fees</a> will likely top $7 billion, which is about $9 for the average domestic passenger. <a href="https://viewfromthewing.com/the-real-reason-airlines-charge-checked-bag-fees-and-its-not-what-you-think">By splitting out the cost of bags</a>, airlines avoided paying about half a billion dollars in taxes just last year.</p>
<p>In the two decades since 2002, flyers paid a total of about $70 billion in bag fees. This means separately charging for bags saved airlines about $5 billion in taxes.</p>
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<p>It seems clear to me that tax savings are one driver of the unbundling of baggage fees because of a quirk in the law.</p>
<p>The U.S. government doesn’t apply the 7.5% tax to <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-26/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-49/subpart-D/section-49.4261-3">international flights that go more than 225 miles</a> beyond the nation’s borders. Instead, there are fixed <a href="https://www.airlines.org/dataset/government-imposed-taxes-on-air-transportation">international departure and arrival taxes</a>. This is why major airlines charge $35 to $40 <a href="https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/baggage/checked-baggage-policy.jsp">for bags if you’re flying domestically</a>, but don’t charge a bag fee when you’re flying to Europe or Asia.</p>
<h2>Do travelers get anything for that money?</h2>
<p>This system raises an interesting question: Do baggage fees force airlines to be more careful with bags, since customers who pay more expect better service? To find out, I checked with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, which has been <a href="https://www.bts.gov/content/mishandled-baggage-reports-filed-passengers-largest-us-air-carriersa">tracking lost luggage for decades</a>. </p>
<p>For many years, it calculated the number of mishandled-baggage reports per thousand airline passengers. The government’s data showed mishandled bags peaked in 2007 with about seven reports of lost or damaged luggage for every thousand passengers. That means you could expect your luggage to go on a different trip than the one you are taking about once every 140 or so flights. By 2018, that estimate had fallen to once every 350 flights.</p>
<p>In 2019, the government <a href="https://www.bts.gov/topics/airlines-and-airports/number-30a-technical-directive-mishandled-baggage-amended-effective-jan">changed how it tracks</a> mishandled bags, calculating figures based on the total number of bags checked, rather than the total number of passengers. The new data show about six bags per thousand checked get lost or damaged, which is less than 1% of checked bags. Unfortunately, the data doesn’t show improvement since 2019.</p>
<p>Is there anything that you can do about higher bag fees? Complaining to politicians probably won’t help. In 2010, two senators <a href="https://www.nj.com/business/2010/04/us_senators_present_bill_to_ba.html">tried to ban bag fees</a>, and their bill went nowhere.</p>
<p>Given that congressional action failed, there’s a simple way to avoid higher bag fees: <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/packing-expert-travel-world-handbag/index.html">travel light</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/08/opinion/carry-on-packing-airlines-lost-luggage.html">don’t check any luggage</a>. It may sound tough not to have all your belongings when traveling, but it might be the best option as bag fees take off.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225857/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jay L. Zagorsky does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The answer lies in the tax code.Jay L. Zagorsky, Associate Professor of Markets, Public Policy and Law, Boston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2256752024-03-14T05:47:43Z2024-03-14T05:47:43ZShould you be concerned about flying on Boeing planes?<p>The American aerospace giant Boeing has been synonymous with safe air travel for decades. Since the 1990s, Boeing and its European competitor Airbus have dominated the market for large passenger jets. </p>
<p>But this year, Boeing has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. In January, an emergency door plug <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/alaska-airlines-let-boeing-max-fly-despite-warning-signals">blew off a Boeing 737 MAX</a> in mid flight, triggering an investigation from United States federal regulators. </p>
<p>More recently, we have seen a Boeing plane lose a tyre while taking off, another flight turned back as the plane was leaking fluid, an apparent engine fire, a landing gear collapse, a stuck rudder pedal, and a plane “dropping” in flight and <a href="https://theconversation.com/latam-flight-800-just-dropped-in-mid-flight-injuring-dozens-an-expert-explores-what-happened-and-how-to-keep-yourself-safe-225554">injuring dozens of passengers</a>. A Boeing engineer who had raised concerns regarding quality control during the manufacturing process on the company’s 787 and 737 MAX planes also <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68534703">died earlier this week</a>, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. </p>
<p>As members of the travelling public, should we be concerned? Well, yes and no.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/boeing-door-plug-blowout-highlights-a-possible-crisis-of-competence-an-aircraft-safety-expert-explains-221069">Boeing door plug blowout highlights a possible crisis of competence − an aircraft safety expert explains</a>
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<h2>Many problems, but not all can be blamed on Boeing</h2>
<p>The recent parade of events has certainly been dramatic – but not all of them can be blamed on Boeing. Five incidents occurred on aircraft owned and operated by United Airlines and were related to factors outside the manufacturer’s control, like maintenance issues, potential foreign object debris, and possible human error. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/united-airlines-plane-tire-blowout-boeing-b2509241.html">United Airlines 777</a> flying from San Francisco to Japan lost a tyre on takeoff, a maintenance issue not related to Boeing. The aircraft landed safely in Los Angeles. </p>
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<p>A <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/12/united-airlines-reports-fifth-flight-incident-in-a-week-as-jet-turns-back-due-to-maintenance-issue/">United Airlines flight from Sydney</a> to Los Angeles had to return to Sydney due to a “maintenance issue” after a fluid was seen leaking from the aircraft on departure. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/passenger-video-shows-flames-shoot-united-airlines-engine-midflight-rcna142217">United Airlines 737-900</a> flying from Texas to Florida ended up with some plastic bubble wrap in the engine, causing a suspected <a href="https://skybrary.aero/articles/compressor-stall#:%7E:text=Compressor%20stalls%20cause%20the%20air,dirty%20or%20contaminated%20compressor%20components">compressor stall</a>. This is a disruption of air flow to an operating engine, making it “backfire” and emit flames. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://simpleflying.com/united-boeing-737-max-houston-runway-incident/">United Airlines 737 Max</a> flying from Tennessee to Texas suffered a gear collapse after a normal landing. The pilot continued to the end of the runway before exiting onto a taxiway – possibly at too high a speed – and the aircraft ended up in the grass and the left main landing gear collapsed. </p>
<p>The fifth event occurred on a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/another-boeing-max-mishap-ntsb-probes-stuck-rudder-pedals-united-airli-rcna142286">United Airlines 737-8</a> flight from the Bahamas to New Jersey. The pilots reported that the rudder pedals, which control the left and right movement of the aircraft in flight, were stuck in the neutral position during landing.</p>
<h2>Manufacturing quality concerns</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/alaska-airlines-let-boeing-max-fly-despite-warning-signals">exit door plug failure in January</a> occurred on an Alaska Airlines flight. US regulators are currently investigating Boeing’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/money/24052245/boeing-corporate-culture-737-airplane-safety-door-plug">manufacturing quality assurance</a> as a result. </p>
<p>The door plug was installed by a Boeing subcontractor called Spirit AeroSystem. The door plug bolts were not properly secured and the plug door fell off in flight. The same aircraft had a series of pressurisation alarms on two previous flights, and was scheduled for a maintenance inspection at the completion of the flight. </p>
<p>Spirit got its start after Boeing shut down its own manufacturing operations in Kansas and Oklahoma, and Boeing is now in the process of <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/01/spirit-aerosystems-boeing.html">buying the company</a> to improve quality oversight. Spirit currently works with Airbus, as well, though that may change.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-did-alaska-airlines-flight-1282-have-a-sealed-off-emergency-exit-in-the-first-place-the-answer-comes-down-to-money-221263">Why did Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 have a sealed-off emergency exit in the first place? The answer comes down to money</a>
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<h2>What changed at Boeing</h2>
<p>Critics say the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/12/boeing-whistleblower-death-plane-issues/">culture at Boeing has changed</a> since Airbus became a major competitor in the early 2000s. The company has been accused of shifting its focus to profit at the expense of quality engineering. </p>
<p>Former staff have raised concerns over tight production schedules, which increased the pressure on employees to finish the aircraft. This caused many engineers to question the process, and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fine Boeing for lapses in quality oversight after tools and debris were found on aircraft being inspected. </p>
<p>Several employees have testified before US Congress on the production issues regarding quality control. Based on the congressional findings, the FAA began to inspect Boeing’s processes more closely.</p>
<p>Several Boeing employees noted there was a high staff turnover rate during the COVID pandemic. This is not unique to Boeing, as all manufacturing processes and airline maintenance facilities around the globe were also hit with high turnover. </p>
<p>As a result, there is an acute shortage of qualified maintenance engineers, as well as pilots. These shortages have created several issues with the airline industry successfully returning to the <a href="https://www.aviationbusinessnews.com/mro/critical-shortage-of-engineers-means-looming-crisis-for-aviation-warns-aeroprofessional/">pre-pandemic levels</a> of 2019. Airlines and maintenance training centres around the globe are working hard to train replacements, but this takes time as one cannot become a qualified engineer or airline pilot overnight.</p>
<p>So, is it still safe to fly on Boeing planes? Yes it is. Despite dramatic incidents in the news and social media posts <a href="https://twitter.com/DaveMcNamee3000/status/1767636549288824990">poking fun at the company</a>, air travel is still extremely safe, and that includes Boeing.</p>
<p>We can expect these issues with Boeing planes now will be corrected. The financial impact has been significant – so even a profit-driven company will demand change.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225675/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Doug Drury does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The American aerospace company Boeing has been synonymous with safe air travel for decades, but recent weeks have seen it plagued by a series of issues.Doug Drury, Professor/Head of Aviation, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2231732024-03-03T14:27:09Z2024-03-03T14:27:09ZWhat Lynx Air’s failure tells us about the state of the Canadian airline industry<p>Lynx Air is the <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/10319776/lynx-air-shutdown-low-cost-airline-failures/">latest in a long line of low-cost airlines</a> to fail in Canada. The airline ceased operations on Feb. 26, four days after <a href="https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/lynx-air-files-for-creditor-protection-final-flight-scheduled-for-feb-26-1.6780174">announcing it had entered creditor protection</a> on Feb. 22.</p>
<p>This scenario is not novel in Canadian commercial aviation; Canada has had its fair share of discount carrier failings due to poor financial health. </p>
<p>Over the last 30 years, carriers such as <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-3000-timeline-1.298111">Canada 3000</a>, <a href="https://simpleflying.com/nationair-canada-what-happened/">Nationair</a>, <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Greyhound-Air-to-Shut-Down">Greyhound Air</a>, <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/remember-roots-airline-a-list-of-canadian-discount-airlines-that-have-left-the-skies-1.6785045">Roots Air</a> and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/skyservice-airline-goes-under-1.733598">SkyService</a> have all succumbed to some form of financial duress and have disappeared from the Canadian discount carrier scene. </p>
<p>The closure of Lynx provides us with an opportune time to review the state of Canadian commercial air travel and identify the challenges and opportunities Canada has in maintaining, and possibly improving, the sustainability of the sector.</p>
<h2>Why did Lynx fail?</h2>
<p>For several weeks earlier this year, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/business/discount-carriers-flair-airlines-and-lynx-air-in-merger-talks-industry-insiders-say/article_66cc1896-cb7b-11ee-9c2e-3b0d7489ee49.html">speculation was rampant that a merger between Flair Airlines and Lynx was close</a>. This would have meant Canadian air travellers seeking low airfares would face an uncertain future with one fewer ultra-low-cost carrier.</p>
<p>Neither carrier publicly acknowledged the existence of such an agreement, simply stating they <a href="https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/ynx-air-flair-airlines-merger-talks">would not comment on market speculation</a>.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/lynx-flair-canadian-airlines-calgary-1.7127454">circumstances surrounding the financial state of Lynx</a> — a private company not required to publicly disclose its operating and financial performance — were cited as the principal drivers of the Lynx situation. </p>
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<img alt="Flair Airlines check-in counters seen in an airport" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579031/original/file-20240229-20-2lth77.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579031/original/file-20240229-20-2lth77.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579031/original/file-20240229-20-2lth77.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579031/original/file-20240229-20-2lth77.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579031/original/file-20240229-20-2lth77.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579031/original/file-20240229-20-2lth77.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579031/original/file-20240229-20-2lth77.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Flair Airlines check-in counters at Edmonton International Airport in March 2020. There was speculation in early 2024 that a merger between Flair and Lynx was going to take place.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>One would normally expect the firm <a href="https://www.travelpulse.ca/news/airlines-airports/reports-say-a-flair-airlines/lynx-air-merger-is-imminent">that was rumoured to be</a> acquiring Lynx to be able to address any and all financial considerations of the merger. But Flair seemed to have financial and legal issues of its own, ranging from <a href="https://www.thestar.com/business/ceo-says-flair-has-resolved-foreign-ownership-issue-mostly-amid-regulatory-probe/article_2643890f-051d-5f4f-8627-a147681560f4.html">corporate governance</a> to <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/flair-airlines-unpaid-taxes-cra-seizure-order-1.7098045">finances</a>.</p>
<p>The merger failed to be consummated, with <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/10321582/lynx-air-debt-flair-airlines-purchase/">numerous claims contained in the Lynx court documents</a> pointing to the need to repay one of Lynx’s shareholders’ debt.</p>
<p>In short, there were two financially weak airlines attempting to consolidate, with neither having sufficient financial strength to complete the merger. Lynx prepared its bankruptcy filing in short order, as it was also experiencing significant financial stress.</p>
<h2>Why haven’t airlines learned from these failures?</h2>
<p>Airline entrepreneurs that launch discount carriers are driven by the belief that the success of their airlines is closely tied to their ability to attract a substantial number of passengers. They aim to <a href="https://aeroxplorer.com/articles/a-quick-reference-guide-to-starting-your-own-airline.php">stimulate travel demand and maintain their competitive stance in the markets they serve</a>.</p>
<p>A common element among most of these entrepreneurial-focused airlines has been to use pricing as a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/airline-pricing-secrets/index.html">key tactic for market stimulation and capture</a>.</p>
<p>Throughout most of 2022 and early 2023, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8973662/how-to-find-cheaper-flights-canada-airfare/">Lynx and Flair were price leaders in North America, sometimes by significant margins</a>. They primarily competed with one another, introducing new services across Canada and the United States, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/household-finances/article-price-of-flights-fall-2022-travel/">providing airfare savings to Canadians and creating demand</a>. </p>
<p>But this price competition did not create enough revenue to generate even marginal profitability. The established airline duopoly in Canada — Air Canada and WestJet — did not actively respond to these price initiatives, as they were occupied with <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8338817/canada-airlines-restoring-capacity-flights/">rebuilding their capacities following COVID-related layoffs</a>.</p>
<p>In the fall of 2023, after the absorption of both Swoop and Sunwing into the WestJet family, both WestJet an Air Canada undertook a number of pricing actions. They began offering competitive routes overlapping with Flair and Lynx, which <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-airlines-ramp-up-growth-plans-amid-increased-competition-setting-stage/">narrowed the price gap among Canadian carriers</a>.</p>
<p>The countdown had begun on the longevity of discount carriers. Lynx ran out of time and money in February 2024 and the clock is most likely ticking on Flair’s ability to remain viable.</p>
<h2>Is the duopoly once again to blame?</h2>
<p>The pricing actions undertaken in fall 2023 seem to point to very specific initiatives designed to lessen the attraction of discount carriers, particularly among WestJet and Air Canada’s customers. </p>
<p>Despite the power of frequent flyer reward programs and the inclusion of travel elements that are considered ancillary to discount carrier fare offerings, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8983216/canada-recession-inflation-leger-poll/">the fear of a recession has significantly lessened the demand for air travel</a> in Canada. Corresponding pricing actions have followed.</p>
<p>The pricing allure of discount carriers faded rapidly and forced them to further reduce airfares to <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/10282017/flair-airlines-2024-travel-forecast/">maintain their position in the marketplace</a>. </p>
<p>The Canadian government has steadfastly maintained its belief that the air carrier marketplace should be free of government oversight and that carrier survivability is best <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9409483/poilievre-conservatives-safety-inflation-travel/">judged by air travellers themselves</a>.</p>
<h2>A new approach is needed</h2>
<p>The time might now be ripe to consider a new regime for managing pricing behaviour among airlines that are pricing below a profitable return. There is also a need to address the actions of WestJet and Air Canada, which have been engaging in aggressive pricing actions aimed at undermining discount carrier sustainability.</p>
<p>An ever-increasing number of potential amendments to the Canadian commercial air travel model have been suggested, most notably those that look to the creation of a civil aviation agency similar to the <a href="https://www.faa.gov/about">Federal Aviation Administration in the United States</a> and the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-aviation-authority">Civil Aviation Authority in the United Kingdom</a>. This would separate the commercial oversight from the regulatory actions, both of which are currently administered by Transport Canada.</p>
<p>Another opportunity would be to create a regulated airfare pricing regime that would establish floor pricing for discount carriers, as well as pricing limits for larger scheduled carriers competing with discount carriers. This would allow discount carriers the breathing room to offer fares without threat from aggressive pricing actions. </p>
<p>The lessons of discount carriers’ failures and the subsequent angst felt by both air travellers and airline staff must be recognized and action taken to change course. The reputation of the Canadian air travel marketplace deserves better.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223173/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Gradek does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The closure of Lynx is an opportune time to review the state of Canadian commercial air travel and identify the challenges and opportunities Canada has in improving the sector.John Gradek, Faculty Lecturer and Academic Program Co-ordinator, Supply Network and Aviation Management, McGill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2210692024-01-19T13:41:11Z2024-01-19T13:41:11ZBoeing door plug blowout highlights a possible crisis of competence − an aircraft safety expert explains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569659/original/file-20240116-21-w7tewc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=24%2C24%2C5439%2C3612&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An investigator examines the frame of a Boeing aircraft whose door plug blew out in flight.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/BoeingEmergencyLanding/390bb7248d0f4069b1b987492afbc254/photo">National Transportation Safety Board via AP</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>In the wake of the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/08/us/what-happened-alaska-airlines-flight-1282/index.html">in-flight blowout of the side of a Boeing 737 Max 9</a>, federal regulators have grounded planes and are stepping up scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing process.</em></p>
<p><em>The Jan. 5, 2024, explosive decompression after takeoff was related to a component called a “door plug” being ejected from the fuselage of the aircraft. This was after <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alaska-airlines-portland-oregon-emergency-landing-aab8ee1e594369ab48fa3ce60f3acdc6">three prior flights of that plane</a> had registered warning signals about cabin pressurization. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating that incident.</em></p>
<p><em>In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into Boeing’s manufacturing process. Other incidents have raised concerns about other 737 Max aircraft – not just <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-how-airplane-crash-investigations-work-according-to-an-aviation-safety-expert-113602">fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019</a>, but more recent examples of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67919436">bolts or other fittings or fasteners</a> not being up to standards.</em></p>
<p><em>The Conversation U.S. asked <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=I0IMxAkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Daniel Kwasi Adjekum</a>, an aviation safety expert and professor of aviation at the University of North Dakota, to explain the significance of the incident, the government’s response and what it all means for the flying public.</em></p>
<h2>Why is Boeing – not the airline – responsible for the door plug being secure?</h2>
<p>Under U.S. federal requirements, the number of occupants in an aircraft and the seating arrangements determine the <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-25/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR88992669bab3b52/section-25.807">number and placements of emergency exit doors</a>. Airplane manufacturers build fuselages with enough openings to accommodate all the doors that might be needed. If airlines choose to use the highest-density seating arrangements, they need to use all of the openings for actual exit doors. But not all airlines pack the seats in that tightly; on those planes, some emergency doors are not needed. Those spaces are filled by door plugs.</p>
<p>In the case of the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, the door plugs are fitted by Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas, which is the supplier of the airframe to Boeing. The final assembly of the aircraft is carried out at the Boeing plant in Renton, Washington. Quality control checks are done at Spirit AeroSystems, and then another round of quality checks is done by Boeing. These include a high-pressure test to ensure that the cabin can be pressurized safely and to ensure the integrity of the fuselage and pressure bulkheads.</p>
<p>Normally, the plugs are not removed during those tests at the Boeing facility, though they are checked to ensure they are correctly aligned with the rest of the fuselage. Overall, it is Boeing’s responsibility, as the original equipment manufacturer, to ensure the components conform to the FAA’s design, manufacturing, installation and performance requirements. </p>
<h2>Do the airlines have any reason to inspect the bolts that fasten the plugs in place?</h2>
<p>Under normal circumstances, once they are delivered and initially inspected, door plugs and their components are not adjusted by the airline maintenance team, though their integrity is checked as part of stipulated maintenance checks. Records from Alaska Airlines suggest that on previous flights before this incident, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alaska-airlines-portland-oregon-emergency-landing-aab8ee1e594369ab48fa3ce60f3acdc6">pilots had received cockpit alerts</a> indicating a failure of the aircraft’s cabin auto-pressurization system.</p>
<p>In a situation like that, where there are suspected cabin pressurization issues, it may be possible for airline maintenance crews to check all cabin doors, windows, seals and potentially door plugs as part of a thorough troubleshooting process, but they would be subject to Boeing’s procedures for inspecting a door plug.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569658/original/file-20240116-23-6pkv4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Airline seats sit next to an opening in the side of an aircraft." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569658/original/file-20240116-23-6pkv4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569658/original/file-20240116-23-6pkv4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569658/original/file-20240116-23-6pkv4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569658/original/file-20240116-23-6pkv4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569658/original/file-20240116-23-6pkv4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569658/original/file-20240116-23-6pkv4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569658/original/file-20240116-23-6pkv4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A view of the opening in the side of a Boeing aircraft that lost a door plug in midflight.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/BoeingEmergencyLanding/d6bae2b392f74ac88efa0f8f7ffbb5af/photo">NTSB via AP</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What do FAA investigations involve?</h2>
<p>The design, testing, certification and approval process for any new aeronautical product is supposed to be in compliance with strict <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-25?toc=1">legal and FAA regulatory standards</a>.</p>
<p>As part of the investigations in this case, the FAA will <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/01/12/1224444590/boeing-faa-737-max-9-alaska-airlines-door-plug">review the engineering and manufacturing processes</a> for the Boeing 737 Max 9, including the processes for vendors and suppliers, to determine if those standards were met. The <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/faa-reviews-data-from-preliminary-inspections-of-boeing-737-max-9/">FAA will review documentation</a> on quality control and assurance processes and analyze components. </p>
<p>The FAA has said it is <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-increasing-oversight-boeing-production-and-manufacturing">considering bringing in a third party</a> to conduct an audit of the engineering and manufacturing processes for the Boeing 737 Max 9. The findings and recommendations from the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/01/08/1223427243/boeing-flight-door-plug-alaska-airlines">National Transportation Safety Board incident investigation</a> may also provide valuable information.</p>
<h2>How do airlines deal with having so many airplanes that are now out of service pending their various inspections?</h2>
<p>With all these aircraft grounded, you need hangars and parking places for temporary storage. And it costs. In the U.S. alone we’re talking about <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/list-airlines-boeing-max-9-1858436">171 airplanes</a> on the ground. </p>
<p>That is a huge financial loss to airlines, which are otherwise benefiting from a <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/12/business/alaska-and-united-flights-canceled-737-max/index.html">surge in air service demand and increased passenger interest</a>.</p>
<p>Airlines’ fleet plans – entailing which aircraft they send on which routes and in what sequence – will be disrupted. Some high-traffic routes normally served by these aircraft will have to be done by other aircraft with limited seat and load capacities. That can reduce expected revenue.</p>
<p>The current scenario will also affect flight crew scheduling. Some crew members may have their work hours reduced or eliminated, at least for a period of time.</p>
<p>Once investigators have determined what went wrong, and how to fix whatever it was, that corrective action will also take a lot of maintenance work, in addition to the normal maintenance work for keeping the rest of the planes fit for flying.</p>
<p>It also appears that the <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/updates-grounding-boeing-737-max-9-aircraft">FAA may want to inspect each plane</a> after it is fixed before certifying it to return to service. That will require significant amounts of inspection time.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569660/original/file-20240116-21-b90elk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two planes sit parked on the tarmac at an airport." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569660/original/file-20240116-21-b90elk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569660/original/file-20240116-21-b90elk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569660/original/file-20240116-21-b90elk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569660/original/file-20240116-21-b90elk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569660/original/file-20240116-21-b90elk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569660/original/file-20240116-21-b90elk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569660/original/file-20240116-21-b90elk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Two Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft sit on the ground at an Oregon airport on Jan. 9, 2024, awaiting approval to take to the skies once again.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/alaska-airlines-boeing-737-max-9-aircrafts-n705al-and-news-photo/1913163434">Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How does an airliner manufacturer regain public confidence? Have other companies dealt with this before?</h2>
<p>In the 1970s, McDonnell Douglas had airworthiness issues with the DC-10 aircraft. Its <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/book-excerpt-flight-981-disaster-180967121">cargo door sometimes opened midflight</a>, resulting in injuries and <a href="https://mitpressbookstore.mit.edu/book/9781588345608">fatalities</a>.</p>
<p>The incidents were a big public relations problem for McDonnell Douglas, but using recommendations from the accident investigations, the company managed to redesign the door. </p>
<p>In the 1990s, ATR had its own issues with the <a href="https://www.faa.gov/lessons_learned/transport_airplane/accidents/N401AM">ATR 72’s de-icing system</a>. The company completely redesigned the system and gradually came back into the market.</p>
<p>Airbus has also faced similar challenges: Some <a href="https://simpleflying.com/a320neo-engine-troubles/">Airbus A320neos using Pratt and Whitney 1100G engines</a> had vibration problems that required review with engine manufacturers and regulators.</p>
<p>Most aircraft manufacturers are aware technical issues can surface after deploying a product into the market. That is why it’s important for them to get continuous feedback from operators on reliability and safety. </p>
<p>Boeing’s situation is difficult in part because of previous problems with other 737 Max models, including fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019. In my view, the company will need a lot of transparency and leadership to address these hits to its reputation.</p>
<p>To me, the company’s best chance for surviving this crisis would be to take full responsibility for what has happened and avoid blaming its suppliers. Boeing could involve airline executives, pilots, engineers, cabin crew, media and others in a wide-ranging discussion of quality and safety. If Boeing could win the confidence of these key stakeholders who operate its aircraft, that could help reestablish credibility for its brand with the traveling public.</p>
<p>In early 2023, Boeing was planning to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/boeing-add-737-max-line-it-boosts-production-2023-01-30/">ramp up production of the 737 Max line</a>. My suggestion would be that the company make product safety and quality an immediate priority and worry later about maximizing production goals and profits, after Boeing’s reputation is restored.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221069/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Kwasi Adjekum has previously received funding from the National Academies of Sciences Gulf Research Program. </span></em></p>Boeing is under increased public and government scrutiny in the wake of dangerous events that have people worried about the safety of air travel.Daniel Kwasi Adjekum, Assistant Professor of Aviation, University of North DakotaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2212632024-01-18T13:29:47Z2024-01-18T13:29:47ZWhy did Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 have a sealed-off emergency exit in the first place? The answer comes down to money<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569625/original/file-20240116-29-1acz42.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=90%2C38%2C8536%2C5703&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The door plug area of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft awaits inspection on Jan. 10, 2024. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/BoeingEmergencyLanding/f0eebc33866f4efd9f75429155b4d229/photo">Lindsey Wasson/AP Photo</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The aviation industry is still in shock from a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/07/us/alaska-airlines-boeing-passengers.html">near disaster</a> on Jan. 5, 2024, in which a 60-pound “door plug” blew out from a nearly new Boeing 737 MAX 9 in flight at 16,000 feet, leaving a gaping hole in the fuselage. </p>
<p>In response, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alaska-airlines-portland-oregon-emergency-landing-b522e36ff228b5ea9a89ea13ee24f597">the Federal Aviation Administration grounded</a> all 737 MAX 9 planes with such plugs, and aviation authorities in other countries have <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-temporarily-grounds-three-boeing-737-max-9-planes-transport-ministry-2024-01-08/">followed suit</a>. </p>
<p>The industry is watching closely. </p>
<p>A lot of news coverage has emphasized the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/09/opinion/alaska-airlines-safety.html">impressive safety record</a> of the global airline industry, particularly since an Alaska Airlines crew managed to land the plane with no fatalities. I commend the outstanding performance of airline employees, air traffic controllers and emergency responders who achieved this impressive feat.</p>
<p>However, as a former United Airlines pilot <a href="https://som.yale.edu/faculty-research/faculty-directory/amy-fraher">now lecturing in Yale University’s School of Management</a>, I believe the wrong questions are being asked about what happened on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. As the <a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA24MA063.aspx">National Transportation Safety Board</a> and numerous <a href="https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/airplane-plug-door-door-plugs-explainer/283-2f5d3371-fec8-409c-86e4-88658d0acd02">news outlets</a> have explained, door plugs are commonly used to seal unused exits on commercial airliners. The question we need to ask is: Why wouldn’t an airline use all of an aircraft’s emergency exits? Wouldn’t that make passengers safer?</p>
<p>It’s all about money.</p>
<h2>Safety isn’t free</h2>
<p>Airlines have lots of expenses. Some, such as <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/publications/economics/fuel-monitor">jet fuel</a>, are easier to calculate. Others, such as emergency exits, are more opaque to travelers. </p>
<p>Believe it or not, every functioning emergency exit comes at a price for an airline. Each requires routine maintenance and frequent inspections – for example, to make sure that emergency evacuation slides work properly – and flight attendants must staff emergency exits during takeoff and landing for safety reasons.</p>
<p>In other words, every working exit comes with associated costs in salaries, health benefits, pension plans, training and related expenses. Sealing off an emergency exit cuts costs.</p>
<p>But is every one of those emergency exits crucial? From the U.S. government’s perspective, not necessarily.</p>
<h2>Why you get more emergency exits in Indonesia</h2>
<p>In the U.S., airlines must comply with federal aviation regulations, which dictate aircraft maintenance procedures and in-flight personnel assignments – and minimum standards for emergency exits.</p>
<p>The issue is that Boeing sells the same airplane to different airlines with different needs.</p>
<p>Boeing notes that its 737 MAX 9 can carry up to 220 passengers, which, under U.S. regulations, requires it be built with a specific number of emergency exits. This <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ALASKAAIR-BOEING/klvydkrlopg/">dense seating configuration</a> is common among lower-cost global airlines such as Jakarta-based Lion Air.</p>
<p>However, given Americans’ desire for legroom, most U.S. carriers are equipped with considerably fewer than 220 seats – and when there are <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ALASKAAIR-BOEING/klvydkrlopg/">fewer than 190</a> seats, the rules allow fewer emergency exits to be in service. The Alaska Airlines Max 9 had just <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ALASKAAIR-BOEING/klvydkrlopg/">178 seats</a>.</p>
<p>Under these conditions, the federal rules allow air carriers to disable these exits and plug the openings. That’s precisely what happened with Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 – and how “door plug” suddenly entered the American vernacular.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZqVCDpF-k_0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A Portland-area science teacher found the missing door plug in his backyard.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Although this sort of workaround is authorized, it’s unclear to me that this is in the best interest of air safety. Wouldn’t it be better for the FAA to require that all exits are available for use in an emergency, regardless of aircraft seating capacity, even if it required some additional expense for airlines?</p>
<h2>A worrying safety record</h2>
<p>The 737 MAX is a plane of many firsts – not all of them positive.</p>
<p>The MAX is the latest addition to Boeing’s 737 family of aircraft. The 737 family has far eclipsed all rivals as the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-737-max-timeline-history-full-details-2019-9">most popular commercial airliner ever built</a>, with over 10,000 sold worldwide since its introduction in 1967.</p>
<p>Some carriers, such as Southwest Airlines in the United States and Ryanair in Ireland, fly only 737s; it’s a critical element of their low-cost business strategy. By flying just one type of aircraft, these airlines significantly improve scheduling flexibility while cutting maintenance and training costs.</p>
<p>That’s all to say that demand for the latest 737 was high. In 2017, when the FAA certified the 737 MAX safe for flight, Boeing <a href="https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2017-03-09-Boeing-737-MAX-8-Earns-FAA-Certification">had already received</a> more than 3,600 new orders from 83 customers. </p>
<p>But very shortly afterward, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/nov/11/boeing-full-responsibility-737-max-plane-crash-ethiopia-compensation">two crashes</a> that <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/indonesia-report-finds-fatal-lion-air-jet-crash-due-boeing-n1071796">together killed 346 people</a> grounded the 737 MAX for nearly two years – another first as <a href="https://democrats-transportation.house.gov/committee-activity/boeing-737-max-investigation">the longest airline grounding in aviation history</a>. Destined to profit US$12 million on the sale of each $121 million MAX, there was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/heres-how-much-boeing-is-estimated-to-make-on-each-737-max-8-plane/articleshow/68399220.cms">significant incentive</a> for Boeing to press on with MAX development even though it had already proved to be a dangerously problematic aircraft design.</p>
<p>In 2020, <a href="https://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/default/files/FAA%20Boeing%20737%20MAX%20Return%20to%20Service%20Final%20Report%5E4.26.2023_revised.pdf">the FAA recertified the MAX as “safe for flight”</a>; by 2023, Boeing had logged more than 7,000 total orders for the MAX, <a href="https://www.boeing.com/commercial/orders-deliveries">far eclipsing</a> the sale of any other type of airliner. This fact alone ought to raise safety concerns. It may soon prove impossible to avoid flying on a 737 MAX, particularly in the U.S. domestic market. United, American, Southwest and Alaska airlines <a href="https://simpleflying.com/boeing-737-max-airlines/">all currently fly the MAX</a>. </p>
<p>When airplane parts and passengers’ cellphones are <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iphone-sucked-out-alaska-airlines-plane-fell-16000-feet-found-still-works/">raining from the sky</a>, it could be a sign that the industry needs to think harder about unintended costs – and consequences.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221263/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Fraher does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A commercial pilot turned management expert and author of ‘The Next Crash: How Short-Term Profit Seeking Trumps Airline Safety,’ explains the economics behind the near-deadly disaster.Amy Fraher, Lecturer in Management, Yale UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2189962023-12-07T21:52:07Z2023-12-07T21:52:07ZThe sky’s the limit: A brief history of in-flight entertainment<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563048/original/file-20231201-21-2dzmmo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C4%2C3105%2C2069&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The in-flight entertainment and connectivity market grew to US$5.9 billion in 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/the-skys-the-limit-a-brief-history-of-in-flight-entertainment" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>As the winter holidays draw near, many of us are already booking flights to see friends and family or vacation in warmer climates. Nowadays, air travel is synonymous with some form of in-flight entertainment, encompassing everything from the reception offered by the aircrew to the food choices and digital content.</p>
<p>These services all add value to flying for customers. Passengers are now so familiar with in-flight entertainment that to travel without it is unthinkable.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/10/19/2762903/0/en/In-Flight-Entertainment-Connectivity-Market-to-Worth-21-03-Bn-by-2030-Exhibiting-With-a-15-9-CAGR.html">The in-flight entertainment and connectivity market grew to US$5.9 billion as of 2019</a>, a testament to its economic impact on both the airlines and the GDP of countries with airline carriers.</p>
<p>In-flight entertainment is so ubiquitous that, even if all other airline services were offered, <a href="https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/19427/will-airlines-compensate-me-if-my-entertainment-system-is-not-working">the airline ensures a refund is made to the passenger affected</a> if television content cannot be accessed.</p>
<h2>A brief history</h2>
<p>In-flight entertainment has evolved significantly over the years. Before in-flight entertainment media was introduced, passengers entertained themselves by reading books or with food and drink services.</p>
<p>The original aim of bringing in-flight entertainment into cabins was to attract more customers, drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, including the theatrical and domestic media environments. It was not initially for the comfort and ease of travelling, as it is today. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.academia.edu/5023683/A_History_of_INFLIGHT_ENTERTAINMENT">Inflight entertainment began as an experiment</a> in 1921, when 11 Aeromarine Airways passengers were shown the film <em>Howdy Chicago!</em> on a screen hung in the cabin during the flight. Four years later, another experiment was carried out in 1925 when 12 passengers on board an Imperial Airlines flight from London were shown the film <em>The Lost World</em>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Black-and-white photo of a group of men watching a movie projection from behind" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564039/original/file-20231206-29-iwrx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564039/original/file-20231206-29-iwrx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564039/original/file-20231206-29-iwrx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564039/original/file-20231206-29-iwrx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564039/original/file-20231206-29-iwrx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=577&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564039/original/file-20231206-29-iwrx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=577&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564039/original/file-20231206-29-iwrx4l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=577&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The first in-flight movie was shown on board an Aeromarine Airways plane that flew at the Chicago Pageant of Progress in 1921.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Motion Picture News)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/when-did-inflight-movies-become-standard-on-airlines-180955566/">It wasn’t until the 1960s</a> that in-flight movies became mainstream for airlines. Trans World Airlines became the first carrier to regularly offer feature films during flights, using a unique film system developed by <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1962/06/02/inflight">David Flexer, then-president of Inflight Motion Pictures</a>.</p>
<p>Starting in 1964, in-flight entertainment evolved to include various media types like 16-mm film, closed-circuit television, live television broadcasts and magnetic tape. In the 1970s, for example, airplanes might feature a large screen with a 16-mm projector in one part of the plane, while small screens hung overhead in another section.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/when-did-airlines-install-seatback-entertainment-20190711-h1g51b.html">Seatback screens were introduced in 1988</a> when Airvision installed 6.9-centimetre screens on the backs of airline seats for Northwest Airlines. They have since morphed into the larger screens we are familiar with today, which are found on nearly every airline.</p>
<h2>In-flight entertainment today</h2>
<p>Most airlines nowadays have personal televisions for every passenger on long-haul flights. On-demand streaming and internet access are also now the norm. Despite initial concerns about speed and cost, in-flight services are becoming faster and more affordable.</p>
<p>In-flight entertainment now includes movies, music, radio talk shows, TV talk shows, documentaries, magazines, stand-up comedy, culinary shows, sports shows and kids’ shows.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/inflight-wi-fi-highlights-challenges-of-satellite-broadband-delivery-on-land-and-in-the-sky-75381">Inflight Wi-Fi highlights challenges of satellite broadband delivery on land and in the sky</a>
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</em>
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<p>However, the rise of personal devices, like tablets and smartphones, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/comment/the-weird-and-wonderful-history-of-in-flight-entertainment/">could spell the end for seatback screens</a>. A number of U.S. airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines and Alaska Air, have <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-09/airline-seatback-screens-may-soon-become-an-endangered-species">removed seatback screens from their domestic planes</a>.</p>
<p>This decline is par for the course. To arrive at the complex system used by aircraft today, in-flight entertainment went through a number of different stages, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0641-1_10">as identified by aviation scholar D.A. Reed</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A person, seen from behind, looking at a screen mounted on the back of an airplane seat" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563044/original/file-20231201-25-a14lv8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563044/original/file-20231201-25-a14lv8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563044/original/file-20231201-25-a14lv8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563044/original/file-20231201-25-a14lv8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563044/original/file-20231201-25-a14lv8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563044/original/file-20231201-25-a14lv8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563044/original/file-20231201-25-a14lv8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">With the widespread usage of personal electronic devices, seatback screens are on the decline.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It started with an idea phase, which saw the conception of the idea, followed by an arms race phase where most airlines adopted some form of it. Currently, airlines are facing challenges in the final — and current — phase of evolution, and are dealing with failures linked to business concept flaws or low revenue.</p>
<p>Now that most air travellers carry electronic devices, fewer airlines are installing seatback screens. From an economic standpoint, this makes sense for airlines: removing seatback screens <a href="https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/01/01/business/airlines-travel-entertainment.html">improves fuel costs</a> and allows airlines to <a href="https://www.flightglobal.com/systems-and-interiors/united-ups-757-density-with-new-slimline-seats/126574.article">install slimmer seats</a>, allowing for more passengers.</p>
<h2>More than entertainment</h2>
<p>At some point in the evolution of in-flight entertainment, it started to serve as more than just a form of entertainment or comfort. Now, it’s also a competitive tool for airline advertisements, and a form of cultural production.</p>
<p>In-flight entertainment has become an economic platform for investors, business people, manufacturers and entertainment providers, especially Hollywood. It also plays a key role in promoting the national culture of destination countries.</p>
<p>However, the evolution of in-flight entertainment hasn’t been without its challenges. As a form of cultural production, it often reflects the interests of advertisers, governments and business entities. It also follows that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0641-1_10">certain ideas, products and cultures are sold to passengers</a> via in-flight entertainment. </p>
<p>The lucrative practice of capturing and selling passengers’ attention to advertisers was not limited to screens, either. In-flight magazines have always been packed with advertisements, and by the late 1980s, these advertisements had spread to napkins and the audio channels.</p>
<p>Despite its shortcomings and precarious future, in-flight entertainment still offers passengers a sense of comfort, alleviating concerns about being suspended over 30,000 feet above sea level. If you end up flying during the holidays, remember your comfort is partly thanks to this innovation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218996/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Olusola Adewumi John does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In-flight entertainment has evolved significantly over the years, from a one-off experiment to the on-demand streaming services many of us are now used to.Olusola Adewumi John, Visiting Researcher, Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre, University of ReginaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2172312023-11-20T14:37:27Z2023-11-20T14:37:27ZAirlines are frustrating travelers by changing frequent flyer program rules – here’s why they keep doing it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558086/original/file-20231107-267500-6jwx0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A boom time for airlines can a bust for loyal passengers.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/friends-at-the-international-airport-in-barcelona-royalty-free-image/1009031554">Martin-dm/E+/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the U.S. <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/holiday-travel-47493">holiday travel season</a> picks up, many people are noticing that their frequent flyer benefits aren’t going as far as they used to. </p>
<p>In September 2023, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/delta-loyalty-program-changes-reward-biggest-spenders-most-dcefa85e">Delta Air Lines revamped its frequent flyer program</a> to make it tougher to earn status — a tiered system offering travel privileges based on the reward points earned — only to partially <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/delta-air-lines-makes-changes-to-its-skymiles-loyalty-programagain-b66519e6">reverse course</a> a month later and make it easier. American Airlines also made <a href="https://news.aa.com/news/news-details/2022/American-Airlines-to-Offer-AAdvantage-Members-More-Rewards-More-Often-Before-and-Beyond-Reaching-Status-AADV-12/default.aspx">big changes to its loyalty scheme in 2022</a> and <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/american-airlines-adjusts-loyalty-program-switches-to-dynamic-pricing">minor changes in spring 2023</a>. And British Airways recently announced that it is <a href="https://www.britishairways.com/en-us/executive-club/faqs/collecting-avios-changes">adjusting the way it awards points for travel</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.bu.edu/questrom/profile/huseyin-karaca/">We are</a> <a href="https://www.bu.edu/questrom/">business school</a> <a href="https://www.bu.edu/questrom/profile/jay-zagorsky/">professors</a> who study <a href="https://theconversation.com/whens-the-best-time-to-use-frequent-flyer-miles-to-book-flights-two-economists-crunched-the-numbers-on-maximizing-their-dollar-value-194893">rewards</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/starbucks-fans-are-steamed-the-psychology-behind-why-changes-to-a-rewards-program-are-stirring-up-anger-even-though-many-will-get-grande-benefits-198361">programs</a>. Many people think <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/12/us-air-travel-workers-passengers">flying is a miserable experience</a>, and having status sometimes makes flights better. So it’s only fair that frequent flyers are asking why it’s seemingly harder to obtain such status.</p>
<h2>Why miles are a multibillion-dollar business</h2>
<p>One big idea to understand is that <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-logistics-and-infrastructure/our-insights/the-six-secrets-of-profitable-airlines">airlines don’t earn very much money</a>, if any at all, from ticket sales. This is mainly due to the highly competitive and capital-intensive structure of the airline industry, which often leads to reduced profit margins. Instead, they make their profits from <a href="https://www.bts.gov/topics/airlines-and-airports/baggage-fees-airline-2022">bag fees</a>, <a href="https://www.bts.gov/cancellation-change-fees">ticket change fees</a> and — importantly — <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/frequent-flyer-programs">frequent flyer</a> programs. </p>
<p>On many airlines, there are two ways to earn status. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/23/united-airlines-very-frequent-flyer">One is to fly a lot</a>. But that means spending time in crowded airports. The other way is to <a href="https://www.delta.com/us/en/skymiles/medallion-program/2024-program-updates">spend a lot of money using a rewards credit card</a>.</p>
<p>Frequent flyer programs, coupled with rewards credit cards, are very profitable for airlines. For example, Delta’s <a href="https://s2.q4cdn.com/181345880/files/doc_downloads/2023/02/DAL-12.31.2022-10K-2.10.23.pdf">latest annual report</a> shows last year that the company earned US$5.7 billion from selling credit card miles. Given Delta only made $3.6 billion in profits, this frequent flyer program clearly boosts the bottom line.</p>
<h2>Designing the optimal rewards program</h2>
<p>Many types of businesses, not just airlines, offer <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/rewards">rewards programs</a>. From a company’s perspective, a <a href="https://knowledge.insead.edu/operations/optimal-design-loyalty-programmes">well-designed loyalty program</a> should cost little or nothing, give customers great value and prevent them from using a competitor. </p>
<p>Frequent flyer programs fit this bill: Giving some passengers the ability to board early or access to a lounge costs airlines almost nothing, but many customers desire it. Plus, the chase for status or free flights <a href="https://hbr.org/1995/05/do-rewards-really-create-loyalty">locks people</a> into using only one airline.</p>
<p>Much of the appeal of status programs comes from their exclusivity. This leaves airlines with a problem: where to set the bar. A low bar means nearly everyone gains status. But customers <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/05/heres-why-airplane-boarding-got-so-ridiculous.html">get no value</a> being allowed to board first if almost everyone on the plane can also do it, and <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-are-clubs-so-crowded-these-days-airport-lounges-have-lost-their-peaceful-privilege-are-they-worth-it-anymore-54572642">airport lounges aren’t a haven</a> when travelers can’t find empty seats. At the same time, setting the bar too high results in empty lounges and unhappy customers.</p>
<p>Striking the right balance is tough, since the number of flyers is constantly changing due to <a href="http://businessmacroeconomics.com/">economic conditions</a>. When the economy is doing well, <a href="https://www.trade.gov/national-travel-and-tourism-office">people want to travel</a>. This gives airlines an incentive to tighten frequent flyer rules. When the economy is doing poorly, people stay home and airlines relax their rules.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Delta’s CEO discusses the backlash to recent loyalty program changes on Bloomberg Television on Oct. 25, 2023.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-logistics-and-infrastructure/our-insights/taking-stock-of-the-pandemics-impact-on-global-aviation">few people flew</a>, so <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/05/travel/airline-loyalty-programs.html">airlines made it easy to earn</a> or keep status. Today, with the economy doing better and flying back to pre-pandemic levels, airlines are making it much tougher.</p>
<p>Many airlines are switching from a frequent flyer status model based on miles traveled to one based on dollars spent. This move aligns with the main design principle of these programs: The benefits a company gives to customers must mirror the value it gets from them.</p>
<h2>Who pays for all those rewards, anyway?</h2>
<p>Rewards programs are very profitable for airlines and their credit card partners. But for cardholders, the value proposition is less clear. These cards promise “free” rewards, but don’t actually deliver anything for free.</p>
<p>First, rewards cards often come with an annual fee. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/best/airline/">Fees typically range</a> from around $100 per year for a simple airlines reward card to $600 for a card that gives lounge access. Second, since many people don’t pay off their credit card balance each month, these card companies <a href="https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/americans-pay-120-billion-in-credit-card-interest-and-fees-each-year/">make billions of dollars charging</a> people interest.</p>
<p>Credit card companies also charge merchants roughly 2.5% every time a customer swipes a reward card — what’s known as <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/business/credit-card-processing/interchange-fee/">the interchange fee</a>. The more generous the card, the higher the fee merchants have to pay. In general, when sellers encounter many consumers using reward cards, they <a href="https://luluywang.github.io/PaperRepository/payment_jmp.pdf">raise prices to offset the additional cost</a>.</p>
<p>What do all these fees mean for the typical flyer? People who pay off their reward card balances in full every month get roughly back the extra amount they pay in fees and charges. People who don’t pay off their balances, or who use debit cards or cash, pay more so that reward card holders get “free” travel. The result is that poorer and less financially savvy people <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/27/lower-income-americans-pay-for-wealthys-credit-card-rewards-some-economists-say.html">end up subsidizing</a> the flights of richer people.</p>
<h2>A boom time for airlines, less so for passengers</h2>
<p>Since the deregulation of air travel in the 1970s, airlines have <a href="https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2022-06/Forecast_Highlights.pdf">gone through boom and bust cycles</a>. Right now, it’s a boom for airlines and a bust for people looking for frequent flyer status. There’s no reason for airlines to be as rewarding today as they were in the past. <a href="https://theconversation.com/passport-bottleneck-is-holding-up-international-travel-by-americans-eager-to-see-the-world-as-covid-19-eases-205271">Planes are full</a> of people willing to pay with money. Sometime in the future, however, it will reverse, and it will be a boom time for flyers looking for status when planes begin having empty capacity.</p>
<p>In the meantime, what should you do? Our general advice is that if you are going to use a reward card, choose a card that gives cash back, not one that gives airplane miles. Good old cash is far more useful than miles. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/travel-rewards/how-to-protect-points/">Miles can be devalued</a> by an airline at any moment. Plus, even the most elite status doesn’t help much when <a href="https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/flightaware/viz/AirlineCancellationDelayUpdate/USAirlineCancellationsDelays">your plane is delayed</a> — and that’s happening more and more these days.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217231/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Loyalty schemes tend to be the most generous when the economy has hit a patch of turbulence.Jay L. Zagorsky, Clinical Associate Professor of Markets, Public Policy and Law, Boston UniversityH. Sami Karaca, Professor of Business Analytics, Boston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2165032023-11-03T17:29:56Z2023-11-03T17:29:56ZIt’s time to limit how often we can travel abroad – ‘carbon passports’ may be the answer<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556887/original/file-20231031-15-1auro3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=64%2C0%2C7128%2C4748&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-carries-luggage-airport-terminal-403443151">Shine Nucha/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The summer of 2023 has been very significant for the travel industry. By the end of July, international tourist arrivals globally <a href="https://www.unwto.org/news/international-tourism-swiftly-overcoming-pandemic-downturn">reached 84% of pre-pandemic levels</a>. In <a href="https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/eu-tourism-almost-full-recovery-pre-pandemic-levels-2023-10-23_en">some European countries</a>, such as France, Denmark and Ireland, tourism demand even surpassed its pre-pandemic level.</p>
<p>This may be great <a href="https://skift.com/insight/state-of-travel/">news economically</a>, but there’s concern that a return to the status quo is already showing dire environmental and social consequences. </p>
<p>The summer saw record-breaking heatwaves across many parts of the world. People
were forced to flee <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/24/greece-wildfires-corfu-evia-rhodes-heatwave-northern-hemisphere-extreme-weather-temperatures-europe">wildfires in Greece</a> and <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/hawaii-fires-update-biden-b2393188.html">Hawaii</a>, and extreme <a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/world-news/foreign-office-issues-spain-weather-27339111">weather warnings</a> were issued in many popular holiday destinations like Portugal, Spain and Turkey. Experts <a href="https://theconversation.com/european-heatwave-whats-causing-it-and-is-climate-change-to-blame-209653">attributed these extreme conditions</a> to climate change.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/european-heatwave-whats-causing-it-and-is-climate-change-to-blame-209653">European heatwave: what’s causing it and is climate change to blame?</a>
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<p>Tourism is part of the problem. The tourism sector <a href="https://wttc.org/Portals/0/Documents/Reports/2021/WTTC_Net_Zero_Roadmap.pdf">generates around one-tenth</a> of the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the climate crisis.</p>
<p>The negative impacts of tourism on the environment have become so severe that some are suggesting drastic changes to our travel habits are inevitable. In a <a href="https://www.intrepidtravel.com/sites/intrepid/files/basic_page/files/A%20Sustainable%20Future%20For%20Travel%20From%20Crisis%20To%20Transformation-231016-02.pdf">report</a> from 2023 that analysed the future of sustainable travel, tour operator Intrepid Travel proposed that “carbon passports” will soon become a reality if the tourism industry hopes to survive. </p>
<h2>What is a carbon passport?</h2>
<p>The idea of a carbon passport centres on each traveller being assigned a yearly carbon allowance that they cannot exceed. These allowances can then “ration” travel. </p>
<p>This concept may seem extreme. But the idea of personal carbon allowances is not new. A <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmenvaud/565/565.pdf">similar concept</a> (called “personal carbon trading”) was discussed in the House of Commons in 2008, before being shut down due to its perceived complexity and the possibility of public resistance. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator/#:%7E:text=A%20carbon%20footprint%20is%20the,is%20closer%20to%204%20tons.">average annual carbon footprint</a> for a person in the US is 16 tonnes – one of the highest rates in the world. In the UK this figure sits at 11.7 tonnes, still more than five times the figure recommended by the <a href="https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/the-average-british-carbon-footprint-is-five-times-over-paris-agreement-recommendations/152669/#:%7E:text=Despite%20rising%20environmental%20awareness%20across,equivalent%20(tCO2e)%20per%20year.">Paris Agreement</a> to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C. </p>
<p>Globally, the average annual carbon footprint of a person is closer to 4 tonnes. But, to have the best chance of preventing temperature rise from overshooting 2°C, the average global carbon footprint <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator/#:%7E:text=Globally%2C%20the%20average%20carbon%20footprint,tons%20doesn't%20happen%20overnight!">needs to drop</a> to under 2 tonnes by 2050. This figure equates to around <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/jul/19/carbon-calculator-how-taking-one-flight-emits-as-much-as-many-people-do-in-a-year">two return flights</a> between London and New York. </p>
<p>Intrepid Travel’s report predicts that we will see carbon passports in action by 2040. However, <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/travel-short-haul-flights-europe-under-fire-climate-change-cop26/">several laws and restrictions</a> have been put in place over the past year that suggest our travel habits may already be on the verge of change.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556889/original/file-20231031-23-kfakh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Boeing 777 with Manhattan in the background lining up on at JFK airport in New York." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556889/original/file-20231031-23-kfakh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556889/original/file-20231031-23-kfakh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=155&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556889/original/file-20231031-23-kfakh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=155&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556889/original/file-20231031-23-kfakh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=155&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556889/original/file-20231031-23-kfakh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=195&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556889/original/file-20231031-23-kfakh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=195&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556889/original/file-20231031-23-kfakh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=195&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Taking a flight from London to New York generates about 986kg of CO₂ per passenger.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/new-york-january-2-boeing-777-93592174">Eliyahu Yosef Parypa/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Targeting air travel</h2>
<p>Between 2013 and 2018, the amount of CO₂ emitted by commercial aircrafts worldwide <a href="https://theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/ICCT_CO2-commercl-aviation-2018_20190918.pdf">increased by 32%</a>. Improvements in fuel efficiency are slowly reducing per passenger emissions. But <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231014004889">research</a> from 2014 found that whatever the industry’s efforts to reduce its carbon emissions, they will be outweighed by the growth in air traffic. </p>
<p>For emission reductions to have any meaningful effect, ticket prices would have to rise by 1.4% each year, discouraging some people from flying. However, in reality, <a href="https://www.climatecentral.org/news/increase-in-flights-will-outweigh-carbon-cuts-17875">ticket prices are falling</a>.</p>
<p>Some European countries are beginning to take measures to reduce air travel. As of April 1 2023, passengers on short-haul flights and older aircraft in Belgium have been <a href="https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/12/12/private-jets-and-short-haul-flights-face-pollution-busting-tax-increases-in-belgium">subject to increased taxes</a> to encourage alternative forms of travel.</p>
<p>Less than two months later France banned <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65687665">short-haul domestic flights</a> where the same trip can be made by train in two-and-a-half hours or less. <a href="https://businesstravelerusa.com/news/spain-to-follow-frances-lead-plans-to-ban-short-haul-domestic-flights/">Spain</a> is expected to follow suit. </p>
<p>A similar scheme could also be on the horizon for Germany. In 2021, a <a href="https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/seventy-percent-germans-favour-banning-short-haul-flights-survey">YouGov poll</a> found that 70% of Germans would support such measures to fight climate change if alternative transport routes like trains or ships were available. </p>
<h2>Cruises and carbon</h2>
<p>It’s not just air travel that’s being criticised. An <a href="https://www.transportenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/The-return-of-the-cruise-June-2023.pdf">investigation</a> by the European Federation for Transport and Environment in 2023 found that cruise ships pump four times as many sulphuric gases (which are proven to cause acid rain and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesellsmoor/2019/04/26/cruise-ship-pollution-is-causing-serious-health-and-environmental-problems/?sh=468ee2f637db">several respiratory conditions</a>) into the atmosphere than all of Europe’s 291 million cars combined. </p>
<p>Statistics like these have forced European destinations to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/8727387d-590d-43bd-a305-b5ec208a4dfe">take action</a> against the cruise industry. In July, Amsterdam’s council <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66264226">banned cruise ships</a> from docking in the city centre in a bid to reduce tourism and pollution – an initiative that has shown success elsewhere.</p>
<p>In 2019 Venice was the most polluted European port, due to large numbers of cruise ship visits. But it dropped to 41st place in 2022 after a ban on large cruise ships entering the city’s waters <a href="https://www.transportenvironment.org/discover/europes-luxury-cruise-ships-emit-as-much-toxic-sulphur-as-1bn-cars-study/">reduced air pollutants from ships</a> in Venice by 80%.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Gondolas in the foreground of a huge cruise ship in Venice." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556894/original/file-20231031-23-krj8r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/556894/original/file-20231031-23-krj8r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556894/original/file-20231031-23-krj8r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556894/original/file-20231031-23-krj8r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556894/original/file-20231031-23-krj8r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556894/original/file-20231031-23-krj8r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/556894/original/file-20231031-23-krj8r8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In 2022, Venice imposed a ban on large cruise ships entering the city’s waters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/gondolas-on-background-huge-cruise-ship-243221659">Ugis Riba/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Changing destinations</h2>
<p>Intrepid Travel’s report also highlights that not only how we travel, but <a href="https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/global-warming-reshuffle-europes-tourism-demand-particularly-coastal-areas-2023-07-28_en">where we travel</a> will soon be impacted by climate change. Boiling temperatures will probably diminish the allure of traditional beach destinations, prompting European tourists to search for cooler destinations such as Belgium, Slovenia and Poland for their summer holidays. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/Travelers-seek-cooler-destinations-this-summer">Several travel agencies</a> reported seeing noticeable increases in holiday bookings to cooler European destinations like Scandinavia, Ireland and the UK during 2023’s peak summer travel months.</p>
<p>Whatever the solution may be, changes to our travel habits look inevitable. Destinations across the globe, from <a href="https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/barcelonas-war-on-tourism-ada-colau/">Barcelona</a> to the <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/italy-tourism-bans-controls-fees-restrictions/a-66453047">Italian riveria</a> and even <a href="https://theconversation.com/death-on-everest-the-boom-in-climbing-tourism-is-dangerous-and-unsustainable-114033">Mount Everest</a> are already calling for limits on tourist numbers as they struggle to cope with crowds and pollution. </p>
<p>Holidaymakers should prepare to change their travel habits now, before this change is forced upon them. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 20,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216503/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ross Bennett-Cook does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The clock could be ticking for the travel industry unless action is taken to change our travel habits.Ross Bennett-Cook, Visiting Lecturer, School of Architecture + Cities, University of WestminsterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2147182023-10-11T19:06:48Z2023-10-11T19:06:48ZQantas won’t like it, but Australian travellers could be about to get a better deal on flights<p>Weeks after Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce brought forward his resignation to help Qantas “accelerate its renewal”, the company’s chairman Richard Goyder today announced he too is retiring early, to “<a href="https://cdn-api.markitdigital.com/apiman-gateway/ASX/asx-research/1.0/file/2924-02723591-2A1480044?access_token=83ff96335c2d45a094df02a206a39ff4">support restoration of trust</a>”.</p>
<p>But the early retirement will take place “prior to the company’s annual general meeting in late 2024” – meaning Goyder will be in the chair for a while yet. </p>
<p>This will give him time to (among other things) help Qantas respond to the Senate inquiry into air services, which <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Commonwealth_Bilateral_Air_Service_Agreements/cbasa/Report">reported on Monday</a>.</p>
<p>If acted on, some of the report’s recommendations would shift power away from Qantas – such as by giving travellers automatic cash compensation for delayed or cancelled flights. </p>
<p>But the inquiry arguably still didn’t go far enough, shying away from bolder action already taken in Europe.</p>
<h2>What did the Senate inquiry recommend?</h2>
<p>The Senate inquiry was set up to investigate the Albanese government’s refusal to approve <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-will-putting-the-interests-of-qantas-ahead-of-qatar-airways-cost-1-billion-per-year-and-a-new-wave-of-protectionism-of-legacy-carriers-212495">extra flights into Australia sought by Qatar Airways</a>, but broadened its scope to examine the way Qantas has been <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Commonwealth_Bilateral_Air_Service_Agreements/cbasa/Report/Recommendations">treating its customers</a>.</p>
<p>Among its recommendations are that: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>the government immediately review its decision not to increase capacity under Australia’s bilateral air services agreement with Qatar</p></li>
<li><p>when making decisions relating to bilateral air service agreements, the government have regard to cost benefit analysis, consult widely with key stakeholders, and publish a statement of reasons for decisions taken</p></li>
<li><p>the government review reform options to strengthen competition in the domestic aviation industry, including potential divestiture powers</p></li>
<li><p>the government direct the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to conduct an inquiry into potential anti-competitive behaviour in the domestic aviation market</p></li>
<li><p>the government develop and implement consumer protection reforms as soon as reasonably practicable to address significant delays, cancellations, lost baggage and devaluation of loyalty programs.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The committee also wanted to be reappointed so it would be able to reexamine witnesses who were unable to appear, including Alan Joyce and Transport Minister Catherine King.</p>
<h2>Consumer cashback and action on Sydney Airport</h2>
<p>Specific suggestions in the report would shift power away from Qantas.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549500/original/file-20230921-19-v6cu46.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549500/original/file-20230921-19-v6cu46.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549500/original/file-20230921-19-v6cu46.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=964&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549500/original/file-20230921-19-v6cu46.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=964&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549500/original/file-20230921-19-v6cu46.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=964&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549500/original/file-20230921-19-v6cu46.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1212&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549500/original/file-20230921-19-v6cu46.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1212&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549500/original/file-20230921-19-v6cu46.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1212&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Automatic cash refunds are on the agenda.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One is automatic cash compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, of the kind Europeans have enjoyed for <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52016XC0615%2801%29">almost 20 years</a>. </p>
<p>Another is for the government to respond to an independent review’s recommendations on improving Sydney Airport’s “slot management system” (how air traffic is managed), which <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/airports/review-sydney-airport-demand-management-scheme">reported back almost three years ago</a>.</p>
<p>Yet another concerned “<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-cabotage-and-why-foreign-airlines-dont-fly-domestic-42350">cabotage</a>”: the ability for foreign airlines to pick up domestic passengers on a domestic leg of an international flight. The committee recommended the government consider limited cabotage.</p>
<p>The government hasn’t yet indicated which of the recommendations it plans to act on.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/booking-customers-on-cancelled-flights-how-could-qantas-do-that-212793">Booking customers on cancelled flights – how could Qantas do that?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Open skies, or tightly-controlled skies?</h2>
<p>The committee could have, and perhaps should have, put forward bolder recommendations.</p>
<p>One would have been unrestricted <a href="https://theconversation.com/under-open-skies-the-market-not-the-minister-would-decide-how-often-airlines-could-fly-into-australia-213214">open skies</a> agreements, of the kind Australia already has with China, India, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore. This would see the government remove itself from decisions about landing slots and leave that to the airports.</p>
<p>An alternative approach – almost the opposite – would be retaining the power to decide who lands, but using it to achieve outcomes the government wants, such as commitments from countries including Qatar on things such as workers’ rights. </p>
<p>The European Union has shown what could be done. It extracted key <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_5344">concessions</a> from Qatar over workers’ rights and environmental protection before signing off on an Open Skies agreement in 2021. </p>
<p>Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a former transport minister who understands the detail of aviation policy, might be particularly keen on this idea, given Labor’s commitment to workers’ rights. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/under-open-skies-the-market-not-the-minister-would-decide-how-often-airlines-could-fly-into-australia-213214">Under 'open skies', the market, not the minister, would decide how often airlines could fly into Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Sweeping changes ahead</h2>
<p>Next year, the government will release a white paper on aviation policy through to 2050, after obtaining <a href="https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/c-king/media-release/aviation-green-paper-open-feedback">feedback</a> on a green paper it released last month.</p>
<p>Those next 30 years will be far from business-as-usual for airlines and airports, whatever decisions the government takes now, and however Qantas responds.</p>
<p>Ultra-long-haul aircraft are likely to link Paris with Perth, and even London with Sydney within a decade. They are likely to force new alliances between airlines that today seem unlikely bedfellows. </p>
<p>And the chorus against the excesses of long-haul travel is likely to become louder. </p>
<p>Prince William’s <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/fifa-womens-world-cup-2023/132776452/large-carbon-footprint-behind-prince-william-not-attending-world-cup-final">refusal to travel to Sydney</a> for the Women’s World Cup Final because of the size of the carbon footprint might be a sign of things to come.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214718/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Justin Wastnage was previously director of aviation policy at Tourism & Transport Forum, that was funded by both Australian and international airlines and airports.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gui Lohmann does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Qantas faces being forced to offer automatic cash compensation to travellers, being broken up if it operates uncompetitively, and unlimited competition under “open skies”.Gui Lohmann, Professor in Air Transport and Tourism Management, Griffith UniversityJustin Wastnage, Adjunct Industry Fellow, Griffith Institute for Tourism, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2122982023-08-29T16:23:03Z2023-08-29T16:23:03ZHow to get help or your money back after travel disruptions – experts explain<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545240/original/file-20230829-17-emlk1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=70%2C94%2C7771%2C5094&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tired-delay-couple-airport-flight-waiting-2262798347">PeopleImages.com - Yuri A/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The summer of 2023 started well for airlines, after a tumultuous few years following COVID lockdowns in most countries. <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2023-releases/2023-08-08-01/">Passenger numbers were up</a> 30% in the northern hemisphere in June 2023, versus the previous year. But air travel in July and August has been disrupted once again, not only by air traffic control strikes, but also by devastating wildfires in typical tourist hot spots such as Greece, Maui, Tenerife and Canada. </p>
<p>The latest problem – <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-66637817">a UK air traffic control fault</a> – has left thousands of passengers stranded after <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-66644343#:%7E:text=More%20than%20a%20quarter%20of%20UK%20flights%20cancelled%20yesterday">more than one-quarter</a> of UK flights were cancelled on one of the busiest travel days of the year. It will take <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/03c0e257-ae88-41a0-b571-ae91f1eabe8c?xnpe_tifc=bILN4F_lxdYjbIHlxDz7x9pJVdUZMds_O.4LhF_JOFzdtIPuxknA4FYl4CJLhIz7tIY8bdoZOfbpxfoDh9XX4DHXxIBs4dQshuUu4.nJ&utm_source=exponea&utm_campaign=B2B%20%7C%20Email%20%7C%20InLife%20%7C%20Weekly%20Send&utm_medium=email">days to resolve</a>, according to the UK transport secretary, Mark Harper. </p>
<p>Air travellers caught up in these events are legally entitled to care and assistance from airlines <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/278/made">under UK law post-Brexit</a>. But our research shows that people are often unsure or completely unaware of their rights when travel is disrupted. </p>
<p>While consumers need more information about their rights in this situation, a group including consumer affairs organisation <a href="https://twitter.com/WhichUK">Which?</a> and online travel agents have also <a href="https://media.product.which.co.uk/prod/files/file/gm-aebcaa6b-8cc6-4d45-8c8e-bd8258c46aed-joint-letter-to-the-prime-minister.pdf">called on the UK prime minister</a> to give the airline regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, more power to punish airlines that don’t help consumers affected by disruption.</p>
<p>At present the regulator is unable to directly and independently fine an airline, it must bring a court action. The CAA also has weak enforcement powers compared with airline regulators in <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/no-uk-airline-has-been-fined-for-breaking-consumer-law-in-20-years-a6LHU4Z4oKLo">other countries</a>. Which? wants the CAA to be able to directly fine airlines for failing to either provide clear and timely information about passenger rights and what to do when air travel is disrupted, or assistance with rerouting if a flight is cancelled, or a prompt refund.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1694001478816657459"}"></div></p>
<h2>Uncertainty about legal rights of air passengers</h2>
<p>Compliance by airlines with consumer protection laws has been <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1023263X20904235">problematic for some time</a>. But the mass cancellation of flights during the <a href="https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/SR21_15/SR_passenger-rights_covid_EN.pdf">COVID pandemic</a> and the failure of many airlines to refund some passengers really brought the problem to the wider public’s attention. </p>
<p>We have <a href="https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/2554613-flight-cancellations,-consumer-rights-and-the-covid-19-pandemic">researched passenger experiences</a> of flight cancellations during the pandemic, as well as the level of awareness among air passengers of both their legal rights and routes to redress. Media coverage by the likes of ITV’s personal finance expert <a href="https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/">Martin Lewis</a> and online information from consumer bodies such as <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/travel/flights">Which?</a> certainly boosted awareness during COVID. </p>
<p>But our research suggests that many travellers are still not sure what action to take if their rights are not respected by an airline. People are also unaware of all the options open to them when seeking redress.</p>
<p>These problems are even more acute for passengers who have booked through an online travel agent rather than directly with the airline. Several of the participants we spoke to during focus groups said they trusted the airlines to look after them or relied on travel insurance. But travel insurance does not always cover the specific situation faced and some airlines have failed to live up to the trust consumers place in them.</p>
<h2>How to get redress for travel disruption</h2>
<p>If your flight has been cancelled by an airline or you need to seek redress for other reasons, you should contact your airline directly in the first instance. If you don’t get a response, or are unsatisfied with the response, there are other options. </p>
<p>For example, “alternative dispute resolution” bodies can help mediate with airlines, but our study showed passengers were unaware of the two ADR bodies in the UK, the <a href="https://www.cedr.com/consumer/aviation/">Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR)</a> and <a href="https://www.aviationadr.org.uk/">AviationADR</a>. </p>
<p>Further, not all airlines are members of the schemes and ADR decisions are not binding. And while the CEDR has reports <a href="https://www.cedr.com/consumer/aviation/">high levels of demand</a> on its homepage, Which? has called for a <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/more-airline-passenger-misery-as-court-cases-could-take-years-a0Cbv3r4ziOt">mandatory aviation ombudsman</a> to be established to help mend “the broken complaints system”. </p>
<p>Alternatively, you could bring a court action against an airline, although this can be tricky if the airline is based abroad. Our study also showed passengers are often short of time and do not always have the confidence to pursue an action before the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money">small claims court</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Airport flight information board with " src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545241/original/file-20230829-27-yus9mt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545241/original/file-20230829-27-yus9mt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545241/original/file-20230829-27-yus9mt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545241/original/file-20230829-27-yus9mt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545241/original/file-20230829-27-yus9mt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545241/original/file-20230829-27-yus9mt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545241/original/file-20230829-27-yus9mt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The latest major travel disruption in the UK was down to an air traffic control glitch.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/close-international-airport-board-panel-all-91041512">Nuno Andre/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Cost can be another determining factor for action. Passengers are more likely to make a claim where the cost of a family holiday runs into thousands of pounds, according to our research. In the past decade, specialist claims firms have started to offer to make claims on behalf of passengers. These firms often have useful websites that can instantly assess whether a claim is worth pursuing. Of course, there will also be a cost to use these firms.</p>
<p>Although court action can be seen as a last resort, in March this year Which? found <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/airlines-refund-compensation-check-claims-court-b1068066.html">£4.5 million is owed</a> to passengers from outstanding County Court Judgments (CCJs) and attempts by passengers to obtain money owed by airlines <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-64999557">using bailiffs</a>.</p>
<p>However, our study showed that one of the most successful ways to secure a refund was under <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/section-75-of-the-consumer-credit-act-aZCUb9i8Kwfa">Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act</a>. This allows you to make a claim to the bank or provider of the credit card you used to pay for your flights.</p>
<h2>What about the airline regulator?</h2>
<p>The routes available for consumers to seek redress for travel disruption will continue to be ineffective if they rely on resolving disputes with the airlines on an individual level. This pits the weaker consumer against the powerful interests and deeper pockets of the airlines. </p>
<p>This is why enhanced powers for the UK’s CAA are vital. The Department for Transport <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-takes-action-to-strengthen-airline-passenger-rights">proposed reforms</a> in January 2022, but the UK government has yet to act.</p>
<p>After a summer of travel disruption that has caused delays and cancellations for thousands of people, a regulator with more teeth will help air passengers caught up in such crises.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212298/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sara Drake has received funding from the European Parliament for research on EU air passenger rights and funding from the UK's Economic and Social Research Council's Festival of Social Science funding to disseminate research findings on air passenger rights in the UK.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carmela Bosangit receives funding from UK's Economic and Social Research Council's Festival of Social Science funding to disseminate research findings on air passenger rights in the UK. </span></em></p>Passengers are often aware that they have legal rights around travel disruption but are not confident about what exactly these rights are.Sara Drake, Reader in Law, Cardiff UniversityCarmela Bosangit, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Cardiff UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2105912023-08-29T12:25:03Z2023-08-29T12:25:03ZMachines can’t always take the heat − two engineers explain the physics behind how heat waves threaten everything from cars to computers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544645/original/file-20230824-17-rzbu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=85%2C54%2C5090%2C3391&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Extreme heat can affect how well machines function, and the fact that many machines give off their own heat doesn't help. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/MoroccoRenaultSandero/b86810360f694e719364ff6cfb327f27/photo?Query=manufacturing&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=317&currentItemNo=NaN&vs=true">AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Not only people need to stay cool, especially in a summer of <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2023/07/18/us-temperature-records-summer-heat-wave/70425231007/">record-breaking heat waves</a>. Many machines, including cellphones, data centers, cars and airplanes, become less efficient and degrade more quickly in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1049/iet-est.2015.0050">extreme heat</a>. Machines generate their own heat, too, which can make hot temperatures around them even hotter. </p>
<p>We are <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_C33NmEAAAAJ&hl=en">engineering researchers</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=q0jrPekAAAAJ&hl=en">who study</a> how machines manage heat and ways to effectively recover and reuse heat that is otherwise wasted. There are several ways extreme heat affects machines.</p>
<p>No machine is perfectly efficient – all machines face some internal friction during operation. This friction causes machines to dissipate some heat, so the hotter it is outside, the hotter the machine will be. </p>
<p><a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201678">Cellphones</a> and similar devices with <a href="http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy13osti/58145.pdf">lithium ion batteries</a> stop working as well when operating in climates above 95 degrees Farenheit (35 degrees Celsius) – this is to avoid overheating and increased stress on the electronics.</p>
<p>Cooling designs that use innovative <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6188826">phase-changing fluids</a> can help keep machines cool, but in most cases heat is still ultimately dissipated into the air. So, the hotter the air, the harder it is to keep a machine cool enough to function efficiently. </p>
<p>Plus, the closer together machines are, the more dissipated heat there will be in the surrounding area. </p>
<h2>Deforming materials</h2>
<p>Higher temperatures, either from the weather or the excess heat radiated from machinery, can cause materials in machinery to deform. To understand this, consider what temperature means at the molecular level. </p>
<p>At <a href="https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/General_Chemistry/CLUE%3A_Chemistry_Life_the_Universe_and_Everything/05%3A_Systems_Thinking/5.1%3A_Temperature">the molecular scale</a>, temperature is a measure of how much molecules are vibrating. So the hotter it is, the more the molecules that make up everything from the air to the ground to materials in machinery vibrate.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sNvMfuOvHwg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">When metal is heated, the molecules in it vibrate faster and the space between them moves farther apart. This leads the metal to expand.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As the temperature increases and the molecules vibrate more, the average space between them grows, causing most materials to expand as they heat up. Roads are one place to see this – hot concrete expands, gets constricted and <a href="https://www.heraldnet.com/news/heat-wave-melted-county-roads-buckled-sidewalks/">eventually cracks</a>. This phenomenon can happen to machinery, too, and thermal stresses are just the beginning of the problem.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544793/original/file-20230825-17-s9qfkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A close-up of a street with several cracks running through the asphalt and a white paint stripe." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544793/original/file-20230825-17-s9qfkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544793/original/file-20230825-17-s9qfkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544793/original/file-20230825-17-s9qfkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544793/original/file-20230825-17-s9qfkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544793/original/file-20230825-17-s9qfkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544793/original/file-20230825-17-s9qfkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544793/original/file-20230825-17-s9qfkc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Streets crack under heat because higher temperatures create more space between vibrating molecules, causing the material to expand and deform.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/cracked-asphalt-royalty-free-image/1266178787?phrase=broken+street+hot&adppopup=true">Priscila Zambotto/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Travel delays and safety risks</h2>
<p>High temperatures can also change the way oils in your car’s engine behave, leading to potential engine failures. For example, if a heat wave makes it 30 degrees F (16.7 degrees C) hotter than normal, the viscosity – or thickness – of typical car engine oils can change <a href="https://wiki.anton-paar.com/kr-en/engine-oil/">by a factor of three</a>. </p>
<p>Fluids like engine oils become thinner as they heat up, so if it gets too hot, the oil may not be thick enough to properly lubricate and protect engine parts from increased wear and tear.</p>
<p>Additionally, a hot day will cause the air inside your tires to expand and increases the tire pressure, which could <a href="https://www.athensreview.com/news/impact-of-excessive-heat-on-tires/article_31542372-3169-11ee-a135-3711984fefc6.html">increase wear and the risk of skidding</a>. </p>
<p>Airplanes are also not designed to take off at extreme temperatures. As it gets hotter outside, air starts to expand and takes up more space than before, making it thinner or less dense. This <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/08/01/climate-change-extreme-heat-is-making-air-travel-worse/51ae039c-3077-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html">reduction in air density</a> decreases the amount of weight the plane can support during flight, which can cause significant <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2023/07/14/extreme-heat-airplane-flight-delay-cancellation/70415739007/">travel delays</a> or flight cancellations. </p>
<h2>Battery degradation</h2>
<p>In general, the electronics contained in devices like cellphones, personal computers and data centers consist of many kinds of materials that all respond differently to temperature changes. These materials are all located next to each other in tight spaces. So as the temperature increases, different kinds of materials deform differently, potentially leading to <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/news/asus-confirms-thermal-stress-is-killing-the-rog-ally-sd-card-reader">premature wear and failure</a>.</p>
<p>Lithium ion batteries in cars and general electronics degrade faster at higher operating temperatures. This is because higher temperatures <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.05.040">increase the rate of reactions</a> within the battery, including corrosion reactions that deplete the lithium in the battery. This process wears down its storage capacity. Recent research shows that electric vehicles <a href="https://www.recurrentauto.com/research/what-a-c-does-to-your-range">can lose about 20% of their range</a> when exposed to sustained 90-degree Farenheit weather.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-factories-of-the-past-are-turning-into-the-data-centers-of-the-future-70033">Data centers</a>, which are buildings full of servers that store data, dissipate significant amounts of heat to keep their components cool. On very hot days, fans must work harder to ensure chips do not overheat. In some cases, powerful fans are not enough to cool the electronics. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545073/original/file-20230828-94298-qbkjjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A white room filled with large black data servers, which look like lockers." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545073/original/file-20230828-94298-qbkjjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545073/original/file-20230828-94298-qbkjjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545073/original/file-20230828-94298-qbkjjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545073/original/file-20230828-94298-qbkjjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545073/original/file-20230828-94298-qbkjjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545073/original/file-20230828-94298-qbkjjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545073/original/file-20230828-94298-qbkjjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Data centers, which store large quantities of data, can overheat and require large-scale cooling − which adds to their environmental footprint.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/DataCenterEnergyEfficiency/1f66b88d245a4f64ac6048bb84627ef2/photo?Query=data%20center&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=185&currentItemNo=1&vs=true">AP Photo/Julie Carr Smyth</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To keep the centers cool, incoming dry air from the outside is often first sent through a moist pad. The water from the pad evaporates into the air and absorbs heat, which cools the air. This technique, called evaporative cooling, is usually an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01457632.2018.1436418">economical and effective way</a> to keep chips at a reasonable operating temperature. </p>
<p>However, evaporative cooling can require a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abfba1">significant amount of water</a>. This issue is problematic in regions where water is scarce. Water for cooling can add to the already <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-generative-ai-bad-for-the-environment-a-computer-scientist-explains-the-carbon-footprint-of-chatgpt-and-its-cousins-204096">intense resource footprint</a> associated with data centers. </p>
<h2>Struggling air conditioners</h2>
<p>Air conditioners struggle to perform effectively as it gets hotter outside – just when they’re needed the most. On hot days, air conditioner compressors have to work harder to <a href="https://home.howstuffworks.com/ac.htm">send the heat from homes</a> outside, which in turn disproportionally increases electricity consumption and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2021EF002434">overall electricity demand</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543804/original/file-20230821-19-xxe1t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C0%2C8527%2C4263&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An apartment building wall with closed windows, an AC unit in each." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543804/original/file-20230821-19-xxe1t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C0%2C8527%2C4263&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543804/original/file-20230821-19-xxe1t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543804/original/file-20230821-19-xxe1t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543804/original/file-20230821-19-xxe1t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543804/original/file-20230821-19-xxe1t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543804/original/file-20230821-19-xxe1t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543804/original/file-20230821-19-xxe1t5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Heat waves can stress air conditioners, which are already working hard to dissipate heat.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/SpainHeatwave/7d830b0761634881b61119751a1aa911/photo?Query=air%20conditioner&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=253&currentItemNo=28&vs=true">AP Photo/Paul White</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, in Texas, every increase of 1.8 degrees F (1 degree C) creates a rise of <a href="https://www.iea.org/commentaries/keeping-cool-in-a-hotter-world-is-using-more-energy-making-efficiency-more-important-than-ever">about 4% in electricity demand</a>. </p>
<p>Heat leads to a staggering 50% increase in electricity demand during the summer in hotter countries, posing serious threats of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/07/11/texas-record-heat-ercot-power-grid/">electricity shortages</a> or blackouts, coupled with higher greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<h2>How to prevent heat damage</h2>
<p>Heat waves and warming temperatures around the globe pose significant short- and long-term problems for people and machines alike. Fortunately, there are things you can do to minimize the damage. </p>
<p>First, ensure that your machines are kept in an air-conditioned, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16102">well-insulated space</a> or out of direct sunlight. </p>
<p>Second, consider using high-energy devices like air conditioners or charging your electric vehicle during off-peak hours when fewer people are using electricity. This can help avoid local electricity shortages.</p>
<h2>Reusing heat</h2>
<p>Scientists and engineers are developing ways to use and recycle the vast amounts of heat dissipated from machines. One simple example is using the waste heat from data centers <a href="https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/03/16/from-heating-swimming-pools-to-vertical-farms-data-centres-are-proving-useful-but-is-it-en">to heat water</a>.</p>
<p>Waste heat could also drive other kinds of air-conditioning systems, such as <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/amo/articles/absorption-chillers-chp-systems-doe-chp-technology-fact-sheet-series-fact-sheet">absorption chillers</a>, which can actually use heat as energy to support coolers through a series of chemical- and heat-transferring processes.</p>
<p>In either case, the energy needed to heat or cool something comes from heat that is otherwise wasted. In fact, waste heat from power plants could hypothetically support 27% of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2011.07.047">residential air-conditioning needs</a>, which would reduce overall energy consumption and carbon emissions.</p>
<p>Extreme heat can affect every aspect of modern life, and heat waves aren’t going away in the coming years. However, there are opportunities to harness extreme heat and make it work for us.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210591/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>People aren’t the only ones harmed by heat waves. The hotter it gets, the harder it is for machines to keep their cool.Srinivas Garimella, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyMatthew T. Hughes, Postdoctoral Associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2110992023-08-07T20:02:19Z2023-08-07T20:02:19ZHow air travellers can cut their door-to-door emissions right now – by as much as 13% on the Sydney-Melbourne route<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541373/original/file-20230807-21-46i2be.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3994%2C2658&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">MDRX/Wikimedia Commons</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Our climate is changing, and airlines are under pressure to reduce emissions from air travel. For many of us, especially in Australia, flying is an essential form of transport, so how can we reduce its environmental impact? Getting to and from the airport is an overlooked aspect of air travel that offers an immediate way to cut total carbon emissions from the trip by a surprisingly large amount.</p>
<p>Our newly published <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920923002468">research</a> shows for an average economy passenger flying from Sydney to Melbourne, the carbon emissions from using a fossil-fuelled car to get to and from the airports make up a staggering 13.5% of the total door-to-door emissions. At a global scale, this number reaches 12.1% for long-haul flights and up to 22.8% for short-haul air journeys.</p>
<p>For comparison, in the International Air Transport Association’s <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/programs/environment/roadmaps/">2050 net-zero emission roadmap</a>, 13% of global airline decarbonisation will come from electric and hydrogen propulsion. A further 65% is to come from mass adoption of sustainable aviation fuel. This is fuel produced from non-petroleum-based renewable sources such as some municipal solid waste, woody biomass, fats, greases and oils.</p>
<p>Each of these big lifters requires a mammoth level of investment and technological breakthroughs, and comes with limitations and risks. Some solutions might make air travel prohibitively expensive. Airlines are moving mountains to decarbonise, but there are increasing concerns their net-zero plans might not stack up.</p>
<p>In contrast, a 13.5% emission reduction on a Sydney-Melbourne door-to-door journey today may sound like a dream. Yet our research shows it’s easily achievable if travellers can be persuaded to change how they get to and from the airport.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541375/original/file-20230807-25-gylca6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541375/original/file-20230807-25-gylca6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541375/original/file-20230807-25-gylca6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541375/original/file-20230807-25-gylca6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541375/original/file-20230807-25-gylca6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=461&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541375/original/file-20230807-25-gylca6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=461&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541375/original/file-20230807-25-gylca6.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=461&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Travel to and from the airport by a fossil-fuelled car accounts for a surprisingly large proportion of emissions from the whole journey.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-a-buzz-about-sustainable-fuels-but-they-cannot-solve-aviations-colossal-climate-woes-205484">There’s a buzz about ‘sustainable’ fuels – but they cannot solve aviation's colossal climate woes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>So how can travellers be convinced to switch?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/agricultural-and-resource-economics-review/article/future-of-carbon-labeling-factors-to-consider/FDBC62244F2ACA29A7602886085B4A91">Research</a> has shown carbon “labelling” helps shift consumer behaviour towards greener choices. It’s a bit like how the nutrition label on the back of our cereal box helps us choose healthier options. </p>
<p>For instance, when searching for a flight on online travel platform Skyscanner, all flight options are displayed with carbon emissions, so consumers can make a more informed choice.</p>
<p>Two <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5n53672m">recent</a> <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/03611981211046924">studies</a> at the University of California, Davis, suggest showing consumers the emission outcomes of different gate-to-gate flight choices, such as aircraft types and transit stops, can prompt them to choose greener flights, reducing emissions by up to 3.8%. </p>
<p>But air journeys don’t start or end at airports. They start at home and end at destinations, or vice versa. Our air-travel carbon emissions are divided into ground and air segments and counted as airport and airline emissions respectively. While airlines focus on gate-to-gate decarbonisation through future technologies, the door-to-door emissions produced by travel to and from airports can be reduced immediately.</p>
<p>Let’s look at an example of a Sydney-to-Melbourne trip. Say you travel from North Sydney to Sydney Airport by car, then fly to Melbourne Airport and catch a taxi to the city centre. That trip emits 82 kilograms of CO₂ door-to-door. But if you use a train, bus or electric vehicle (charged from a renewable source) to travel to and from the airport, the emissions from your trip drop to 71kg: a 13.5% fall door-to-door. </p>
<p>Although travel platforms are increasingly communicating gate-to-gate emissions to consumers, we’re not aware of any that are including door-to-door emissions. Helping climate-conscious consumers understand the door-to-door carbon impact of airport ground connections could drive them to choose greener options such as public transport and electric vehicles.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Google Flights chart of air travel options showing emissions and cost" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541364/original/file-20230807-15-mp3dlr.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Travel aggregator search platforms are now labelling carbon emissions when offering flight options.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Google Flights</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/bucking-the-trend-is-there-a-future-for-ultra-long-haul-flights-in-a-net-zero-carbon-world-183212">Bucking the trend: Is there a future for ultra long-haul flights in a net zero carbon world?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Give airlines an incentive to inform passengers</h2>
<p>Governments and airports have long collaborated in driving consumers towards greener ground transit options. For instance, Transport for NSW has set a 50% emission-reduction <a href="https://www.future.transport.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-09/Future_Transport_Strategy_2.pdf">target</a> for 2030. </p>
<p>However, consumer adoption of these options has remained low. <a href="https://www.ttf.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/TTF_Accessing_Sydney_Airport.pdf">Most airport trips</a> in Australia today are still made by conventional car.</p>
<p>As consumers, we have relationships with airlines that we don’t have with airports. When it comes to flying, we choose our airline carefully. Yet we rarely think about how we get to the airport.</p>
<p>Airlines are experts in customer communication and engagement. They operate some of the largest frequent-flyer programs in the world. Last time we checked, Qantas had <a href="https://www.finder.com.au/frequent-flyer/qantas">15 million</a> program members and Virgin had <a href="https://newsroom.virginaustralia.com/release/velocity-frequent-flyer-soars-11-million-members">11 million</a>. </p>
<p>Through these channels, airlines learn about us and how we tick when it comes to making flying choices. This puts them in an ideal position to keep us informed about door-to-door travel and drive the transition towards greener airport ground-connection options. To give them an incentive to do so, their efforts should be recognised through emission accounting.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Air travellers enter the airport train station" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541376/original/file-20230807-17-tiylg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541376/original/file-20230807-17-tiylg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541376/original/file-20230807-17-tiylg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541376/original/file-20230807-17-tiylg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541376/original/file-20230807-17-tiylg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541376/original/file-20230807-17-tiylg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541376/original/file-20230807-17-tiylg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It makes sense to give airlines an incentive to play a greater role in promoting low-emissions travel to and from the airport.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/blue-sky-thinking-net-zero-aviation-is-more-than-a-flight-of-fantasy-171940">Blue-sky thinking: net-zero aviation is more than a flight of fantasy</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A cost-effective way to cut emissions</h2>
<p>Travellers using the Sydney Airport train station must pay an <a href="https://www.opal.com.au/en/opal-fares/airport_station_access_fee/">access fee</a>, which adds <a href="https://airportlink.com.au/trip-information/price/">A$15.74</a> to the cost of the journey. As our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920923002468">paper</a> highlights, the average customer using the airport train removes 2.7kg of CO₂. Achieving the same amount of decarbonisation during the flight using more sustainable aviation fuel – which is more expensive – would cost the customer about the same: between $10 and $16.</p>
<p>So there is an opportunity for airlines to highlight this decarbonisation outcome as a way to persuade travellers to reconsider driving a car or catching a taxi, and instead take the airport train or bus. Airlines could also consider collaborating with airports to build airport charging facilities for electric vehicles as uptake in Australia approaches a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/31/australian-electric-vehicles-ev-sales-rise-increase">double-digit share</a> of new vehicle sales.</p>
<p>This overlooked opportunity to cut door-to-door emissions from air travel has a substantial upside. It deserves far more attention from airlines, airports and consumers.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211099/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rico Merkert receives funding from the ARC and various industry partners. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Li's research has received financial support from iMOVE Australia and in-kind support from Air New Zealand.</span></em></p>Air travel emissions are proving difficult and costly to cut, but travellers can make a surprisingly big difference simply by changing how they travel to and from the airport.Rico Merkert, Professor in Transport and Supply Chain Management and Deputy Director, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS), University of Sydney Business School, University of SydneyDavid Li, PhD Candidate, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2079262023-06-22T20:06:58Z2023-06-22T20:06:58ZWhy can’t I use my phone or take photos on the airport tarmac? Is it against the law?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533331/original/file-20230622-27-61n5mz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5392%2C3581&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-may-27-2018-people-by-1111827515">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Mobile phones are not allowed to be used while on a plane because they can interfere with the aeroplane’s navigation instruments and <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-the-real-reason-to-turn-on-aeroplane-mode-when-you-fly-188585">cause various safety and social issues</a>.</p>
<p>As soon as the plane lands, we’re permitted to turn off flight mode, but at some airports we can’t get much of a signal. That’s because airports are known as mobile signal “<a href="https://thepointsguy.com/news/slow-connection-airport-tarmacs/">dead zones</a>” due to a lack of mobile towers – they can’t be placed at the airport itself due to height restrictions.</p>
<p>Any nearby mobile towers would be located away from the airport’s runway systems to avoid interfering with the aeroplane’s flight path, especially take-off and landing direction. Most airports put up indoor repeater antennas within the airport terminal; these help increase the mobile signal strength coming from the nearest mobile tower somewhere near the airport.</p>
<p>But you won’t be allowed to make calls while walking away from the plane, anyway.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-the-real-reason-to-turn-on-aeroplane-mode-when-you-fly-188585">Here's the real reason to turn on aeroplane mode when you fly</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why can’t I use my phone on the tarmac?</h2>
<p>As we are taxiing in, the <a href="https://www.qantas.com/au/en/qantas-experience/onboard/communication.html">cabin crew</a> remind us not to smoke outside of designated areas at the terminal and not to use our mobile phones until we are inside the terminal building.</p>
<p>If you exit the plane down the rear stairs, why aren’t you allowed to use your phone once away from the aeroplane, if you can get a signal? Surely it won’t affect navigation.</p>
<p>The answer is manifold, and regulations aren’t the same across the world.</p>
<p>In Australia, a <a href="https://www.casa.gov.au/operations-safety-and-travel/travel-and-passengers/onboard-safety-and-behaviour/using-your-electronic-devices-flights">government regulation</a> prohibits the use of mobile phones on the tarmac – the aeroplane movement and parking area of the airport.</p>
<p>You won’t be fined if you whip your phone out while walking to the terminal, but the airline may admonish you for not following the rules. However, if you decide to (<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/woman-arrested-after-running-onto-tarmac-at-melbourne-airport-20151125-gl7bkq.html">run around on the tarmac</a>, you could get arrested by federal police.</p>
<p>The airport tarmac is very busy not just with aircraft, but also baggage carts, catering trucks, aeroplane waste removal trucks, and fuel trucks. Getting passengers off the tarmac and into the terminal building quickly and safely is a priority for the staff.</p>
<p>If you are distracted while walking to the terminal building because you’re talking on your phone, it can be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/25/alabama-airport-worker-killed-jet-engine-safety-warnings">highly dangerous and even deadly</a> if you end up too close to an operating plane. An operating jet engine is extremely hot and has a strong exhaust. Additionally, the front of the engine has a low-pressure area called an <a href="https://www.ukfrs.com/guidance/search/aircraft-systems-and-construction">ingestion zone</a> that can suck in a person. Ground staff are trained to stay at least ten metres away from this area. However, this information is not shared with the passengers.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533338/original/file-20230622-19-4wmz21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Long view photo of a snowy grey tarmac with an air canada plane and several fuel and other support trucks around it" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533338/original/file-20230622-19-4wmz21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533338/original/file-20230622-19-4wmz21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533338/original/file-20230622-19-4wmz21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533338/original/file-20230622-19-4wmz21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533338/original/file-20230622-19-4wmz21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533338/original/file-20230622-19-4wmz21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533338/original/file-20230622-19-4wmz21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The tarmac is busy with crew, various support and fuel vehicles, and airplanes themselves, with plenty of hazards for a passenger who wanders into the wrong area.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/OIf5dPuecMg">David Preston/Unsplash</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A myth about fuel</h2>
<p>You may have heard that mobile phones are a fire hazard near fuel, and aeroplanes are, of course, refuelled on the tarmac.</p>
<p>However, the chances of fuel catching fire during this process are extremely low, because the refuelling truck is <a href="https://safetyfirst.airbus.com/safe-aircraft-refuelling/">bonded and “grounded” to the plane</a>: the operator attaches a wire to the aircraft to move built-up static electricity to the ground to prevent any chance of a spark. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533350/original/file-20230622-18-ot2mup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A sign at a petrol station showing smoking and mobile phones are prohibited" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533350/original/file-20230622-18-ot2mup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533350/original/file-20230622-18-ot2mup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533350/original/file-20230622-18-ot2mup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533350/original/file-20230622-18-ot2mup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533350/original/file-20230622-18-ot2mup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533350/original/file-20230622-18-ot2mup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533350/original/file-20230622-18-ot2mup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Warning about mobile phones at petrol stations are inaccurate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/warning-sign-gas-petroleum-industrial-prevention-2084569294">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There have been stories in the press about mobile phones sparking <a href="https://www.verizon.com/about/news/vzw/2014/12/fact-or-fiction-using-a-cell-phone-at-the-gas-station-can-cause-a-fire">fires at petrol stations in Indonesia and Australia</a>, but these turned out to be inaccurate. There is <a href="https://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/AboutTheCodes/30A/FI%20-%20NFPA%2030A-2015%20Para%208.3.1%20-%20Attachments%2014-19.2017-04-04.pdf">no evidence a phone can spark a fire at a fuel pump</a>, despite the warning labels you might see.</p>
<p>Either way, the chances of a mobile phone causing this on the tarmac with a refuelling truck that is grounded to the aeroplane are extremely low, not least because the passenger permitted areas and refuelling areas are completely separated.</p>
<h2>Why are we told not to take photos on the tarmac?</h2>
<p>This rule varies from airport to airport depending on their <a href="https://www.tsa.gov/travel/frequently-asked-questions/can-i-film-and-take-photos-security-checkpoint">security processes</a>.</p>
<p>Such restrictions are carryovers from the changes to airport security following the <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/jlecono50&i=739">September 11 2001 terrorist attacks</a>. The now federalised security teams, TSA (Transportation Security Administration) in the United States and the Department of Home Affairs in Australia, change their processes frequently to prevent having any identifiable patterns that could be used to create a security breach.</p>
<p>The increased security measures also mean new technologies were introduced; airport security sections do not want photos taken of how they operate. </p>
<p>The airport security process is a major choke point in the flow of passenger movement due to the screening process. If a passenger is perceived to be slowing the process down by taking photos or talking on their phone, they will be reminded to turn off their device and/or stop taking photos of security personnel and equipment.</p>
<p>If you refuse to follow the rules of the screening process, you will be <a href="https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-us/what-we-do/travelsecure/passenger-screening">denied entry</a> into the airport terminal gate area and miss your flight. Can you also get arrested for using your phone? Depends on the airport and country. I, for one, do not want to find out.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207926/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Doug Drury does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Lingering on the tarmac once you get off a plane through the rear door is unadvisable for many reasons – here’s why the staff want your phone in your pocket.Doug Drury, Professor/Head of Aviation, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2056042023-06-20T12:29:24Z2023-06-20T12:29:24ZPassengers whose flights are canceled or delayed may soon get better treatment in the US – where airlines have long set their own rules<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531703/original/file-20230613-27-g7q22s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In Europe, customers are entitled to cash compensation for flight delays and cancellations.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/young-traveler-sleeping-at-airport-royalty-free-image/1172692318">Murat Deniz/E+ Collection/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>U.S. airline passengers in early 2023 faced the <a href="https://www.transtats.bts.gov/HomeDrillChart.asp">highest rate of flight delays</a> since 2014. That heightened level of delays came shortly after December 2022, when Southwest Airlines experienced an epic meltdown, canceling <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/flight-cancellations-christmas-2022-winter-storm/index.html">71% of its flights</a>.</p>
<p>In response, on May 8, 2023, the Biden administration <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/biden-proposes-that-airlines-offer-cash-compensation-for-flight-cancellations-or-big-delays/ar-AA1aTT7v">proposed new rules</a> that would require airlines to <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/dot-propose-requirements-airlines-cover-expenses-and-compensate-stranded-passengers">compensate passengers</a> whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed because of causes – unlike bad weather – that are under the control of the airlines. Under the new rules, the airlines would need to offer meal vouchers, overnight accommodations and ground transportation to and from a hotel when customers are stranded. </p>
<p>If enacted, those new rules would provide U.S. passengers with rights and protections more in line with those currently afforded passengers in the <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1476179175834&uri=CELEX:32004R0261">European Union</a> and <a href="https://otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/publication/flight-delays-and-cancellations-a-guide">Canada</a>. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://udayton.edu/directory/artssciences/history/bednarek_janet.php">professor of history</a> who researches American aviation, I’m aware that consumer advocates have pushed for greater passenger rights for airline travelers in the U.S. since at least the early 1970s – when <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/01/11/nader-awarded-15010-in-airline-suit/2b8bd978-962a-4130-b597-73a2074a8beb/">Ralph Nader sued an airline</a> for bumping him from an overbooked flight. For the most part, especially since the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/95th-congress/senate-bill/2493">Airline Deregulation Act</a> in 1978, such efforts have failed, and airlines have been able to set and enforce their own policies.</p>
<h2>Limits of Rule 240</h2>
<p>Ralph Nader’s suit, which unsuccessfully sought to end the practice of overbooking flights, highlighted that there were regulations already in place concerning passengers bumped from <a href="https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/IN10693.pdf">flights because of overbooking</a>. Those regulations, however, did not cover passengers whose flights were delayed or canceled. </p>
<p>There was, however, something <a href="https://www.fly.faa.gov/FAQ/faq.html">known as Rule 240</a>. As part of the Civil Aeronautics Board’s oversight of U.S. airlines, airlines had to <a href="https://www.seatmaestro.com/rule-240/#:%7E:text=Rule%20240%20was%20in%20fact%20a%20convenient%20way,history%20after%20the%20airlines%20were%20deregulated%20in%201978">submit information on all aspects of their operations</a>, including their flight delay and cancellation policies. In these required documents, that information was often listed under Rule 240. However, each airline determined its own flight delay and cancellation policies under Rule 240. The airlines were not required to compensate passengers in any particular way, only to state what their policy was. </p>
<p>As U.S. airlines became deregulated in the late 1970s and early 1980s, many, though not all, included the provisions they had previously submitted to the Civil Aeronautics Board in their contracts of carriage – <a href="https://www.flyertalk.com/articles/contract-of-carriage-for-dummies-buy-the-ticket-take-the-ride.html">the “fine print</a>” associated with airline tickets. <a href="https://www.tripsavvy.com/airlines-rule-240-54480">Many contracts of carriage</a> stated that in the case of a delay or cancellation, the airline would book a passenger on its next available flight or place them on a flight on another airline that would get them to their destination sooner. </p>
<p>Rule 240 or its equivalent under the contract of carriage <a href="https://www.tripsavvy.com/airlines-rule-240-54480">varies by airline</a> and primarily focuses on rebooking passengers. Some airlines do offer meal vouchers and hotel accommodations, but only when the problem is caused by the airline and not something like weather or a labor strike. Consumer advocates encourage passengers to invoke Rule 240, but airlines will likely provide only what is stated in their contract of carriage.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Airport worker stands in front of a flight arrivals digital screen that shows many canceled flights" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532251/original/file-20230615-15-li31w1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532251/original/file-20230615-15-li31w1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532251/original/file-20230615-15-li31w1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532251/original/file-20230615-15-li31w1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532251/original/file-20230615-15-li31w1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532251/original/file-20230615-15-li31w1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532251/original/file-20230615-15-li31w1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Southwest Airlines canceled over 2,500 flights a day in late December 2022, leaving many customers stranded over the holidays.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/passengers-effected-by-cancellation-of-more-than-2-500-news-photo/1245858598">Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Push for a passenger bill of rights</h2>
<p>In recent decades, consumer advocates and even some lawmakers have sought to enshrine more substantial air passenger protections into federal law. </p>
<p>In December 2006, American Airlines held passengers on a plane on the tarmac in Austin, Texas, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17173370">for eight hours</a> with little food or water. Kate Hanni, a passenger on that flight, lobbied Congress to pass an extensive <a href="https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/partial-mission-accomplished-for-napa-passenger-rights-leader/">passenger bill of rights</a>. In response, the Department of Transportation did <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-department-transportation-expands-airline-passenger-protections">announce new rules</a> in 2009 that said airlines could not hold domestic flights on the tarmac for more than three hours and must provide access to water and lavatories during such delays. </p>
<p>Those rules were <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-department-transportation-expands-airline-passenger-protections">expanded in 2011</a> to reimburse baggage fees to customers whose bags are lost, increase compensation for passengers bumped from oversold flights, and extend the rule concerning tarmac delays to international flights, with a four-hour limit.</p>
<p>More recently, in November 2021, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut introduced <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/3222?s=1&r=14">Senate Bill 3222</a> to establish an airline passengers’ bill of rights. However, it never made it past the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.</p>
<h2>EU paves the way</h2>
<p>U.S. passengers flying within the European Union can experience what it is like when passenger rights are guaranteed under law rather than left to the discretion of airlines. </p>
<p><a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52016XC0615(01)">EU legislation</a> mandates that airlines provide passengers with certain levels of care including flight rebooking, meals, hotel vouchers and, in some instances, cash compensation – which varies depending on the length of the delay and the distance of the flight. All travelers who are flying within the EU, or whose flight arrives to the EU on an EU carrier, or departs from the EU on any carrier, are covered under that legislation. </p>
<p>The Biden administration proposal would bring <a href="https://rollcall.com/2023/05/08/biden-administration-drafting-airline-passenger-protection-rules/">U.S. airline passenger protections</a> more in line with the EU where such protections are mandated and not at the discretion of the airline. Such an effort, while likely welcomed by passengers, is also likely to meet opposition from the airlines – which have enjoyed a long history of setting their own rules.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205604/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Janet Bednarek does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Consumers and politicians are pushing for greater protections for air travelers. A historian explains why the US trails the EU and Canada when it comes to passenger rights.Janet Bednarek, Professor of History, University of DaytonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2075742023-06-14T15:44:53Z2023-06-14T15:44:53ZAviation turbulence soared by up to 55% as the world warmed – new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531659/original/file-20230613-27-xtjkgf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1609%2C334%2C1987%2C1917&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Potentially dangerous air turbulence has increased on busy flight routes across the globe.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cumulonimbus-airplane-landing-storm-clouds-77635738">Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Turbulence on flights isn’t most people’s idea of fun. Drinks start wobbling, hearts start racing and even rational minds start to wonder whether the aircraft can cope. But for the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00754">many people</a> who have a diagnosable fear of flying, turbulence can be terrifying.</p>
<p>That’s why it has given us no great pleasure to have published many studies over the past decade predicting that climate change will worsen turbulence in the future. But these studies have left one gaping question unanswered: given that humans started changing the climate over a century ago, has atmospheric turbulence already started to increase?</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103814">our new study</a>, the answer is a resounding yes. Over the course of the past four decades, severe turbulence has increased on many busy flight routes around the world, including in Europe, the US and the north Atlantic.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man sat in front of an airplane window with his head in his hands." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531664/original/file-20230613-29-5kqhvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531664/original/file-20230613-29-5kqhvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531664/original/file-20230613-29-5kqhvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531664/original/file-20230613-29-5kqhvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531664/original/file-20230613-29-5kqhvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531664/original/file-20230613-29-5kqhvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531664/original/file-20230613-29-5kqhvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many people have a diagnosable fear of flying.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-sits-front-airplane-window-nervous-2027486114">Marko Aliaksandr/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The climate–turbulence link</h2>
<p>Clear-air turbulence is an invisible form of rough air that is undetectable by in-flight weather radar and is challenging to forecast. It has nothing to do with clouds and storms, but instead is generated by windshear (wind variations with altitude), which is concentrated largely in the jet streams.</p>
<p>Windshear in the jet streams has <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1465-z">increased by 15%</a> at aircraft cruising altitudes since satellites began observing it in 1979. A further increase of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001556">around 17%–29%</a> is projected by 2100. </p>
<p>These increases are consistent with the expected effects of climate change: <a href="https://feedbackloopsclimate.com/atmosphere">atmospheric feedback loops</a> (where warming generates further warming) are strengthening the temperature differences that generate windshear in the upper atmosphere.</p>
<p>That’s why climate models indicate that clear-air turbulence will <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1866">become much more common in future</a>. Turbulence strong enough to pose an injury risk could <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00376-017-6268-2">double or triple</a> in frequency. </p>
<p>These increases are projected to occur all around the world. Some regions, including North America, the north Atlantic and Europe, are set to experience <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074618">several hundred per cent</a> more turbulence in the coming decades. Every additional 1°C of global warming <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-023-06694-x">will increase</a> the amount of turbulence further still.</p>
<p>And for those wondering whether climate models can be trusted with the task of making future turbulence predictions, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/qj.4270">the evidence shows that they can</a>. The key factor limiting these predictions is not the performance of the climate models, but our understanding of turbulence itself.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Weather radar screen inside the cockpit of an aircraft." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531933/original/file-20230614-31-aaakle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531933/original/file-20230614-31-aaakle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=225&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531933/original/file-20230614-31-aaakle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=225&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531933/original/file-20230614-31-aaakle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=225&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531933/original/file-20230614-31-aaakle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531933/original/file-20230614-31-aaakle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531933/original/file-20230614-31-aaakle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Clear-air turbulence is undetectable by in-flight weather radar.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cu-on-airplane-weather-radar-screen-2207518471">Supamotionstock.com/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Past turbulence trends</h2>
<p>So have the predicted turbulence increases already begun? A previous analysis of pilot reports of turbulence found <a href="https://doi.org/10.1175/2008JAMC1799.1">evidence of an upward trend</a>. But the short coverage period of 12 years raised questions about whether the increase was genuine or simply a statistical blip. </p>
<p>A longer study analysed 44 years of atmospheric data from 1958 to 2001 and found <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD008189">turbulence increases of 40%–90%</a>. But the lack of satellite data for the first half of this period leaves huge observational gaps and raises questions about the reliability of the results.</p>
<p>Our new study analyses turbulence in atmospheric data over the entire meteorological satellite era, from 1979 onwards. Although satellites cannot detect clear-air turbulence, what they can measure is the three-dimensional shape and structure of the jet streams. </p>
<p>From this we can calculate how much clear-air turbulence was being generated by the windshear. Our work has produced the most detailed picture yet of how turbulence has already started to change around the world.</p>
<p>We find that severe clear-air turbulence has increased by 55% over the north Atlantic and 41% over the US since 1979. It does go up and down from one year to the next, but there’s a clear long-term upward trend, consistent with the expected effects of climate change. We find similar increases on other busy flight routes over Europe, the Middle East and the south Atlantic.</p>
<h2>The future of turbulence</h2>
<p>We’ve been warning for the past decade that climate change would increase atmospheric turbulence. And now we see that it is happening. So what can be done to stop the more turbulent atmosphere leading to bumpier flights and more injuries to passengers and crew?</p>
<p>The aviation sector uses <a href="https://www.aviationweather.gov/turbulence/gtg">specialised turbulence forecasts</a> to plot smooth flight routes around turbulent air. These forecasts have improved greatly over the past few decades, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. </p>
<p>Technological advances might one day allow pilots to <a href="http://www.delicat.inoe.ro">remotely sense</a> invisible clear-air turbulence from the cockpit in real time. But high costs mean such technology is not yet viable.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Fasten Seat belt sign on a plane." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531936/original/file-20230614-9255-jl252o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531936/original/file-20230614-9255-jl252o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531936/original/file-20230614-9255-jl252o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531936/original/file-20230614-9255-jl252o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531936/original/file-20230614-9255-jl252o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531936/original/file-20230614-9255-jl252o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531936/original/file-20230614-9255-jl252o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The best advice to passengers is to keep your seatbelt fastened.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/security-on-plane-fasten-seat-belt-664653046">marako85/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For now, the best advice to passengers is to keep your seatbelt fastened. It’s what you do when driving down the road at 20mph, so it makes sense to do it when hurtling through the sky at 600mph. During a turbulence encounter, remember that turbulence strong enough to cause injuries is relatively rare.</p>
<p>If that thought doesn’t calm you down, we have heard that it helps to order a large drink, place it on the table in front of you and observe how little the liquid surface actually moves. You will see that the turbulent forces are rarely as bad as they feel.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 20,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul D. Williams has received funding from the Royal Society, Natural Environment Research Council, Leverhulme Trust, European Union, and Heathrow Airport.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Isabel Smith receives funding from NERC</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Prosser receives funding from NERC. </span></em></p>Turbulence strong enough to pose an injury risk could be set to double or triple in frequency in the future.Paul Williams, Professor of Atmospheric Science, University of ReadingIsabel Smith, PhD Candidate, Meteorology, University of ReadingMark Prosser, PhD Student in the Department of Meteorology, University of ReadingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2068122023-06-05T16:11:37Z2023-06-05T16:11:37ZHow cats and dogs affect the climate – and what you can do about it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530059/original/file-20230605-25-wur8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=975%2C386%2C4035%2C3346&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Are dogs as polluting as private jets?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dogwalker-spending-time-three-dogs-urban-1045710715">elbud/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>According to Patrick Hanson, the CEO of <a href="https://www.luxaviation.com/">Luxaviation</a>, a Luxembourg-based luxury airline firm, having pets can be just as polluting as travelling by private jet. In defence of his own industry, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/d5845324-8355-4509-b90e-2b2d0681da7b">he declared recently</a> that one of his company’s customers produces around 2.1 tonnes of CO₂ each year, roughly the same emissions as three pet dogs. This comparison draws on a <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-to-calculate-the-carbon-footprint-of-everything-j98nbv9jm">calculation</a> made in 2020 by carbon-footprint researcher Mike Berners-Lee.</p>
<p>The environmental impact of pets is often overlooked. But <a href="https://www.gfk.com/insights/mans-best-friend-global-pet-ownership-and-feeding-trends">more than half of people</a> worldwide have a pet in their home, and this number is rising. As of 2023, pet ownership in the US reached <a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/pet-insurance/pet-ownership-statistics/">66% of households</a>, an increase from 56% in 1988. </p>
<p>So, how much should we worry about the harm our pets are doing to the environment? </p>
<p>Both cats and dogs can harm wild animal populations. They <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/cats-and-garden-birds/are-cats-causing-bird-declines/">hunt and kill birds and other creatures</a>, while they also <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-05-ecological-pawprint-domestic-dogs-greater.html">chase and harass wild animals</a>. However, perhaps the most concerning aspect of owning pets is the climate impact of the food they eat.</p>
<p>The environmental footprint of our animal companions can vary significantly and is influenced by factors including their size, how many we own and their diet. Choosing nutritionally balanced food with lower meat content will typically reduce emissions. But, just like other aspects of consumption, we must consider our choice of pets and how to feed them to minimise their climate impact.</p>
<h2>Pet food’s uncertain impact</h2>
<p>Animal byproducts (such as lungs, hearts, livers or kidneys) are frequently used in pet food due to their low cost and ability to provide appropriate nutrition. Poultry byproducts, for instance, have been identified as the largest ingredient in both <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-22631-0">dry and wet commercial pet food diets</a>.</p>
<p>How the environmental impact of these byproducts is accounted for is therefore crucial. But published research on the environmental impact of pet food is limited. And even then, some of these studies have produced questionable results.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-22631-0">One study</a>, published last year, suggested that feeding a 10kg dog (roughly the size of a standard <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/dachshund">Dachshund</a>) wet food is associated with the equivalent of 6,541kg of CO₂ emissions each year. This equates to 98% of the total emissions of an average Brazilian citizen. By contrast, a dry food diet for the same dog would result in emissions equivalent to 828kg of CO₂.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A Dachshund running towards the camera." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530060/original/file-20230605-8235-h1ffh9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530060/original/file-20230605-8235-h1ffh9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530060/original/file-20230605-8235-h1ffh9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530060/original/file-20230605-8235-h1ffh9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530060/original/file-20230605-8235-h1ffh9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530060/original/file-20230605-8235-h1ffh9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530060/original/file-20230605-8235-h1ffh9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Your pet’s diet also contributes to climate change.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dachshund-exercise-685697788">NORRIE3699/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In 2017, another study produced equally alarming results. This study revealed that the emissions stemming from the production of dry cat and dog food in the US amounted to <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0181301">between 25% and 30%</a> of the emissions associated with animal products consumed by all US citizens.</p>
<p>Both of these studies attribute environmental impacts to animal byproducts as if they were human-grade meat. This assumption allows available meat emissions factors to be used, but creates double-counting as the livestock emissions have been attributed to the human-grade meat they produce and not to the combination of meat and animal byproducts.</p>
<h2>Rethinking this approach</h2>
<p>A more balanced approach is to allocate the emissions associated with meat and byproducts using the relative economic value of the different products. The impact of the whole animal is recalculated and different values are assigned to the meat and the byproduct. It also slightly lowers the emissions associated with the meat, to give the same emissions for the livestock animal. Byproducts generally have a lower economic value, thereby leading to lower emissions per kilogram allocated to them when compared to meat.</p>
<p>Using this approach, the food emissions of a 10kg dog would be the equivalent of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959378020307366">240kg of CO₂ emissions per year</a>. Scaled up for an <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0181301">average 22kg dog</a>, that’s 530kg of CO₂ emissions each year. This is smaller than, but relatively close to, Berners-Lee’s <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/d5845324-8355-4509-b90e-2b2d0681da7b">770kg a year calculation</a>.</p>
<p>But even with the lower emissions that result from this approach, the environmental footprint of pet food is still considerable. Globally, the production of dry pet food accounts for between <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959378020307366">1.1% and 2.9%</a> of agricultural emissions, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959378020307366">up to 1.2%</a> of agricultural land use and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959378020307366">roughly 0.4%</a> of agricultural water extraction. This equates to an environmental footprint about twice the land area of the UK, with greenhouse gas emissions that would rank as the 60th-highest emitting country. While substantial, it’s worth noting that this is still only around one-tenth of <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-aviation">global aviation emissions</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A dog eating dry food." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530085/original/file-20230605-23-ym3f5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530085/original/file-20230605-23-ym3f5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530085/original/file-20230605-23-ym3f5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530085/original/file-20230605-23-ym3f5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530085/original/file-20230605-23-ym3f5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530085/original/file-20230605-23-ym3f5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530085/original/file-20230605-23-ym3f5q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dry pet food production generates a level of greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the 60th highest emitting country in the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dry-food-dog-177594395">successo images/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reducing the environmental burden</h2>
<p>There is also substantial variability in the size of our pets, especially when it comes to dogs. While a large <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/mastiff">Mastiff</a> could weigh 80kg, a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/Chihuahua-dog">Chihuahua</a> could weigh more than 30 times less, resulting in significantly lower dietary requirements. </p>
<p>Such variability means simplified carbon footprint comparisons between activities like owning dogs and flying on a private jet <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/comparing-carbon-footprint-private-jets-owning-pets-waste-time-2373116">may not be helpful</a>. But in any case there are several things we can do to reduce the environmental footprint of our pets.</p>
<p>Reducing the quantity of pet food required is a good start. By moving towards smaller breeds, we can keep the benefits of pet ownership while reducing the environmental burden. Feeding your pet <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2161831322010985?via%3Dihub">the appropriate amount</a> would also help to restrict demand for pet food – and also tackle pet obesity.</p>
<p>The type of food we give to our pets is equally important. Current trends towards the <a href="https://ga-petfoodpartners.co.uk/knowledge-centre/the-humanisation-of-pet-food/">humanisation of pet foods</a> (where products more closely resemble human food) or feeding them <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-you-feed-your-pet-raw-meat-the-real-risks-of-a-traditional-dog-diet-90271">raw meat</a> are likely to increase the environmental impact of owning pets. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Tabby cat rearing up to reach a feeding dish containing raw meat." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530064/original/file-20230605-15-adxppi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530064/original/file-20230605-15-adxppi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530064/original/file-20230605-15-adxppi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530064/original/file-20230605-15-adxppi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530064/original/file-20230605-15-adxppi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530064/original/file-20230605-15-adxppi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530064/original/file-20230605-15-adxppi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The type of food we give our pets matters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tabby-cat-rearing-reach-feeding-dish-1669099855">Nils Jacobi/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.sustainablejungle.com/sustainable-living/sustainable-eco-friendly-dog-food/">Sustainable pet food brands</a> – of which there are now many – and brands that incorporate <a href="https://theconversation.com/insect-protein-dish-of-the-day-for-your-environmentally-friendly-pet-110105">innovative ingredients such as insects</a> offer a more environmentally conscious approach. These pet foods have a reduced meat content, particularly of ruminant meat (grazing mammals like cattle), and include plant-based ingredients. But it’s essential to consider <a href="https://theconversation.com/eating-insects-can-be-good-for-the-planet-europeans-should-eat-more-of-them-190042">what the insects eat</a> to ensure the overall environmental cost is reduced.</p>
<p>Claims comparing pets to private jets may oversimplify the issue, especially when there is contention over what each activity could mean. But caring for our pets does contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions (alongside the other environmental impacts of owning pets) must be considered when we decide which pets to own and how to feed them.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Alexander receives funding from UKRI and ERC.</span></em></p>The environmental pawprint of pets is huge – and it’s mostly down to what we feed them.Peter Alexander, Senior Lecturer in Global Food Security, The University of EdinburghLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2049962023-05-07T12:38:13Z2023-05-07T12:38:13ZCanadian airlines brace for a summer of change as U.S. airlines consider reforms<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524221/original/file-20230503-19-okemwv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=399%2C296%2C2510%2C1836&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An Air Canada jet takes off from Montréal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport on June 30, 2022.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/canadian-airlines-brace-for-a-summer-of-change-as-u-s--airlines-consider-reforms" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-105524-highlights.pdf">on the causes of flight disruptions before and after the pandemic</a>. The report also outlined the challenges airlines faced managing and responding to these flight disruptions.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-105524.pdf">The report</a> was the result of requests made by the U.S. Congress to the GAO to examine key changes in the U.S. passenger airline industry resulting from the pandemic.</p>
<p>For those of us who experienced <a href="https://theconversation.com/air-canada-flight-reductions-faqs-about-the-chaos-in-the-airline-industry-185750">the chaotic Canadian aviation environment last summer</a> — especially those that used Toronto’s Pearson Airport and Montréal’s Trudeau Airport — it is difficult to forget the lines of <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-pearson-airport-delays-1.6481605">passengers waiting in queues for hours</a>, <a href="http://prod-test.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/06/28/you-%20think-you-have-baggage-luggage-is-piling-up-at-pearson-perplexing-travellers.html">mishandled baggage</a> and <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8970277/air-canada-pearson-rank-no-1-delays-worldwide-montreal-check-%20in-freezes/">unprecedented flight delays</a>.</p>
<p>For an industry with extensive regulatory oversight provided by the federal government, it has been interesting to examine and contrast the <a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/TRAN/meeting-26/evidence">parliamentary efforts made in Canada to address flight disruptions</a> with similar efforts being made by U.S. Congress.</p>
<h2>Canadian airline reforms</h2>
<p>Canada’s Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities <a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/TRAN/meeting-27/evidence">held a meeting on Aug. 19, 2022 to hear Omar Alghabra</a>, the minister of transport, voice his concerns about flight delays and cancellations. </p>
<p>The meeting focused on the need to better protect air travellers’ rights in the face of such events. </p>
<p>This focus on passenger rights continues to this day. <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9646294/air-passenger-rights-changes-compensation-loopholes/">At the end of April, Alghabra announced reforms</a> for the Canadian Transportation Agency’s appeal-handling process and the Canadian Transportation Act. Airlines will be required to handle claims and provide a response to complaints within 30 days.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man wearing a suit and glasses speaks from behind a microphone on a desk. A row of Canadian flags stand behind him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524217/original/file-20230503-17-n9r1yz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524217/original/file-20230503-17-n9r1yz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524217/original/file-20230503-17-n9r1yz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524217/original/file-20230503-17-n9r1yz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524217/original/file-20230503-17-n9r1yz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524217/original/file-20230503-17-n9r1yz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524217/original/file-20230503-17-n9r1yz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra speaks at a news conference on proposed changes to air passenger rights, in Ottawa, on April 24, 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The amendments, which are currently tabled in the House of Commons as part of a budget implementation bill, will affect the penalties air carriers face for violating air passenger protection rights. </p>
<p>In particular, the amendments will increase the maximum fine for violations to $250,000 and charge carriers with the regulatory cost of complaints.</p>
<p>The GAO’s analysis and recommendations, by comparison, are much more detailed.</p>
<h2>U.S. airline reforms</h2>
<p>The U.S. Department of Transportation has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flight-delays-would-mean-compensation-for-customers-under-proposed-rule-2022-8">recently initiated passenger protection regulation development</a> similar to the ones Canada has had in place since 2019.</p>
<p>However, the Department of Transportation has yet to address specific compensation levels for passengers that have experienced flight delays — provisions that have already been adopted by Canada and are <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-%20content/EN/TXT/?uri=LEGISSUM%3Al24173">similar to those in effect in the European Union</a>.</p>
<p>An intriguing element of the GAO report is its review of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s awareness of airline scheduling practices and how such practices have impacted flight delays and cancellations.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/820/819136.pdf">In its report, the GAO stated</a> the department of transportation has the authority to “regulate unfair and deceptive practices of airlines, which includes unrealistic scheduling practices.”</p>
<p>The Department of Transportation defines unrealistic scheduling as “the scheduling of flights that airlines cannot generally and reasonably be expected to fulfill.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman walks in front of a screen displaying flight schedules." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524216/original/file-20230503-24-1sjo91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524216/original/file-20230503-24-1sjo91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524216/original/file-20230503-24-1sjo91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524216/original/file-20230503-24-1sjo91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524216/original/file-20230503-24-1sjo91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524216/original/file-20230503-24-1sjo91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524216/original/file-20230503-24-1sjo91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cancelled flights are seen in red on the flight schedules at the Southwest terminal at Los Angeles International Airport in December 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The report concludes that various stakeholders, including several airlines and worker unions, published unrealistic flight schedules, which carriers cannot reasonably be expected to fulfill.</p>
<p>The Department of Transportation indicated it will make an effort next year to build and sustain its oversight and analysis of airline scheduling practices. This will ensure airlines maintain realistic schedules and minimize the impact of flight disruptions on passengers.</p>
<h2>Lessons for Canada</h2>
<p>It is critical that effort be made to provide fair and meaningful compensation in a timely manner to air passengers that have been subjected to airline delays and cancellations. But it is equally — if not more — important to address the underlying causes of such disruptions.</p>
<p>Effective oversight of published airline schedules must be provided. Canadian air travellers should be able to trust an airline’s published schedule — especially as air travellers often purchase tickets long before their flight. </p>
<p>Should Transport Canada step into this oversight role? It might be time to seriously consider establishing a distinct civil aviation authority, separate from Transport Canada.</p>
<p>Canadians’ patience with the actions of various organizations in Canada’s aviation sector has been wearing thin. At the same time, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/united-ceo-airlines-scheduling-flights">rumblings of a return to regulation is starting up</a> in the U.S. airline industry.</p>
<p>Canada’s <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/transportation-regulation">experiment with deregulation occurred close to 40 years ago</a>, but airline scheduling oversight might be one of several areas ripe for similar scheduling reforms in the face of airline disruptions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204996/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Gradek does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While it is critical that air passengers be compensated for airline delays and cancellations, it is equally — if not more — important to address the underlying causes of such disruptions.John Gradek, Faculty Lecturer and Program Co-ordinator, Supply Chain, Logistics and Operations Management, McGill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2037162023-05-04T12:09:48Z2023-05-04T12:09:48ZPeanut butter is a liquid – the physics of this and other unexpected fluids<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523912/original/file-20230502-24-94zt8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C37%2C4174%2C2992&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The knife easily leaves swirls in the spread.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/peanut-butter-on-bread-royalty-free-image/525694555">rimglow/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Those Transportation Security Administration requirements are drilled into every frequent flyer’s head: You can carry on liquids that are only less than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) in volume each.</p>
<p>But when the TSA recently <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/20/travel/tsa-peanut-butter-liquid-security.html">confiscated a jar of Jif</a> under this rule, peanut butter lovers were up in arms. Some skeptics of security may suspect hungry officers just wanted to make their own PB&Js. TSA, however, contends that peanut butter is a liquid – and a full-size jar of Jif is over the 3.4-ounce limit.</p>
<p>Just like Americans’ favorite <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/peanut">legume-based sandwich ingredient</a>, the story – and the outrage it inspired – began to spread. However, I’m a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=a_wXzfUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">mechanical engineer who studies fluid flows</a>, and the TSA action made sense to me. By the scientific definition, peanut butter is indeed a liquid.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp31MElLPb6","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<h2>First consider fluids</h2>
<p>To define a liquid, we must first <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/fluid-physics">define a fluid</a>. Any material that flows continuously when a shearing force is applied is a fluid. Think of a shearing force as a cutting action through a substance that causes it to flow continuously. For example, moving your arm causes the surrounding air to change shape – or deform, to use the physics term – and flow out of the way. The same thing happens to water when your arm takes a swim stroke.</p>
<p>There are many kinds of fluids. Some act very predictably and move smoothly, as air or water do. These are called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/newtonian-fluid">Newtonian fluids</a>, named after Sir Isaac Newton. Scientifically, a Newtonian fluid is one in which the shear force varies in direct proportion with the stress it puts on the material, known as the shearing strain. For a Newtonian fluid, the resistance to fluid flow – that is, its viscosity – is constant at a given temperature.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524115/original/file-20230503-20-1s0oz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="boxes with arrows showing force pushing in opposite directions on top and bottom edge" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524115/original/file-20230503-20-1s0oz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/524115/original/file-20230503-20-1s0oz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=194&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524115/original/file-20230503-20-1s0oz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=194&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524115/original/file-20230503-20-1s0oz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=194&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524115/original/file-20230503-20-1s0oz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=243&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524115/original/file-20230503-20-1s0oz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=243&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/524115/original/file-20230503-20-1s0oz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=243&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Shearing forces push a material in opposite directions, producing shearing strain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/File:Shear.jpg">Designing Buildings</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Other types of fluids do not move quite as smoothly and easily. For some, like peanut butter, a minimum shearing or cutting force may be needed to get it flowing, and it may vary nonlinearly with shearing strain. Imagine you’re stirring a jar of peanut butter. If you stir really fast, with more shearing force, the PB gets runnier, while if you stir slowly the PB remains stiff. These types of fluids are called non-Newtonian fluids. Peanut butter may stick more than flow – maybe you could consider this movement more chunky-style. </p>
<p>Peanut butter is actually a great example of a non-Newtonian fluid because it doesn’t flow as easily as air or water but will flow if sufficient force is applied, such as when a knife spreads it on bread. How easily it flows will also depend on temperature – you may have experienced peanut butter drips after slathering it on warm toast.</p>
<h2>Strange fluids are all around us</h2>
<p>Our everyday lives – but not our airplane carry-ons – are filled with substances that are unexpected fluids. In general, if it can flow, it’s a fluid. And it will eventually take the shape of its container.</p>
<p>Some surprising fluids are peanut butter’s kitchen neighbors, like whipped cream, mayonnaise and cookie batter. You’ll find others in the bathroom, like toothpaste. The natural world is home to other strange fluids, like <a href="https://theconversation.com/lava-ash-flows-mudslides-and-nasty-gases-good-reasons-to-respect-volcanoes-96260">lava</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/deadly-california-mudslides-show-the-need-for-maps-and-zoning-that-better-reflect-landslide-risk-90087">mudslides</a>, avalanches and quicksand.</p>
<p>Gravel can be considered fluidlike. The individual particles are solids, but a collection of gravel particles can be poured and fill a container – its what’s called a granular fluid, because it has fluidlike properties. The same can be said for cereal poured out of a box or sugar into a bowl.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523882/original/file-20230502-24-6afuch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="squirrel lying flat on a beam" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523882/original/file-20230502-24-6afuch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523882/original/file-20230502-24-6afuch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=594&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523882/original/file-20230502-24-6afuch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=594&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523882/original/file-20230502-24-6afuch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=594&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523882/original/file-20230502-24-6afuch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=747&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523882/original/file-20230502-24-6afuch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=747&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523882/original/file-20230502-24-6afuch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=747&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The body of a fully relaxed squirrel counts as a fluid, flowing to fill its container.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ted Heindel</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Traffic flows on a busy highway, and people flow out of a crowded sporting venue.</p>
<p>You could even consider a <a href="https://theconversation.com/answering-the-question-that-won-me-the-ig-nobel-prize-are-cats-liquid-86589">cat lying in the sun to be a fluid</a> when it has flattened out and fills its containerlike skin. Sleepy, relaxed dogs, squirrels and even zonked-out babies can meet the definition of a fluid.</p>
<h2>Liquids are one type of fluid</h2>
<p>Now, you might be objecting: But, the TSA didn’t call peanut butter a fluid, they said it’s a liquid!</p>
<p>Fluids are divided into two general categories: gases and liquids. Both gases and liquids can be deformed and poured into containers and will take the shape of their container. But gases can be compressed, while liquids cannot, at least not easily.</p>
<p>Peanut butter can be poured into its container and then it deforms, or takes the shape of that container. And every 5-year-old knows that peanut butter does not compress. When they squish their PB&J or peanut butter crackers together, the peanut butter does not smoosh into a smaller volume. No – it squirts out the sides and onto their hands.</p>
<p>So, the verdict on peanut butter: delicious liquid.</p>
<p>If you plan to make a PB&J sandwich midflight, count on bringing less than 3.4 ounces of liquid peanut butter. And the same goes for its liquid cousin, jelly.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203716/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ted Heindel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A mechanical engineer explains why you need to go with the flow. The TSA pronouncement that peanut butter is a liquid is scientifically sound.Ted Heindel, University Professor, Bergles Professor of Thermal Science, and Director of the Center for Multiphase Flow Research and Education, Iowa State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2015402023-03-15T12:22:37Z2023-03-15T12:22:37ZWhat’s the carbon footprint of March Madness?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515313/original/file-20230314-5944-ntrn39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=59%2C44%2C4937%2C3281&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The environmental cost of that ticket is high.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/SWACTexasSouthernGramblingBasketball/6c96a2568e5d4b989670515108337c53/photo?Query=march%20madness&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=16200&currentItemNo=0">AP Photo/Butch Dill</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515356/original/file-20230315-3349-rv145j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/515356/original/file-20230315-3349-rv145j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515356/original/file-20230315-3349-rv145j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515356/original/file-20230315-3349-rv145j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515356/original/file-20230315-3349-rv145j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515356/original/file-20230315-3349-rv145j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/515356/original/file-20230315-3349-rv145j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>March Madness means 68 teams vying to become champion, Cinderella runs for a few underdogs and big business for the NCAA, which <a href="https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/ncaa-division-one-college-sports-march-madness-revenue-distribution-2023/">earns 85% of its annual operating budget</a> during the men’s basketball tournament. </p>
<p>But all of that comes at a tremendous cost: An estimated 463 million pounds (210 million kilograms) of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions are released into the atmosphere during the <a href="https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/mml-official-bracket/2023-03-12/2023-ncaa-printable-bracket-schedule-march-madness">three-week event</a>. That’s similar to all the emissions of a large university – such as 2019 champion <a href="https://reports.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-virginia-va/report/2021-03-04/OP/air-climate/OP-2/">University of Virginia</a> – for an entire year. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/carbon-emissions-2586">These greenhouse gas emissions</a> warm the planet, contributing to heat waves, sea level rise and extreme weather. <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Glossary:Carbon_dioxide_equivalent">Carbon dioxide equivalent</a> is a way of measuring the impact of several different greenhouse gases at once.</p>
<h2>Crunching carbon for large-scale event</h2>
<p>A colleague, <a href="https://jacoop.weebly.com/">Alex Cooper</a>, and I came up with this figure based on data for the 2019 NCAA Tournament. </p>
<p>Past research on the carbon footprint of sporting events has primarily focused on one-city events, such as the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2008.12.006">Football Association Challenge Cup in the U.K.</a> and centralized events <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00696-5">like the Olympics</a>. Little prior research has sought to determine the environmental impact of a large-scale sporting event like the NCAA’s men’s basketball tournament. </p>
<p>In addition, when sports organizers do calculate and report emissions for their events, they typically only report <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2019-0254">what happens at their facility</a> during the event. They don’t consider the environmental impact, for example, of travel to and from the event. </p>
<p>So, we wanted to know, what’s the carbon tally for a huge and <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/03/25/why-americans-are-consumed-by-basketballs-march-madness">popular event</a> like March Madness?</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128475">For our peer-reviewed study</a>, which was published in October 2021 in the Journal of Cleaner Production, we aimed to estimate the carbon emissions for all the activities that go into running a massive basketball tournament that takes place in multiple cities across the country in a short span of time. While our estimates are based on 2019, we believe that tournament-generated emissions are comparable to other years, including 2023.</p>
<p>We looked beyond facilities to consider team and fan flight and automobile travel, facility operations, food consumption, waste generation and lodging for everyone based on each team’s progression through the 2019 tournament. We used attendance estimates to determine the impact of <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1813/70974">hotel stays</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.07.052">fan and team air</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2014.06.003">and automobile</a> travel, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14775085.2020.1726802">waste generation</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.12.054">food consumption</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2014.896141">sport facility operations</a> to form our carbon emission model. </p>
<p>Based on our model, we found that this resulted in 463 million pounds of CO2 equivalent emissions. That’s about 1,100 pounds (499 kilograms) for every player, coach and fan who attends. That amount is the same as <a href="https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle">driving over 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) in a typical sedan</a>. </p>
<p>The biggest source of emissions by far was, as you might expect, fan and team travel, which accounted for about 79.95% of the total. The next-largest was hotel stays at 6.83%, followed by food at 6.37%, stadium operations at 5.9% and general waste at 0.95%.</p>
<p><iframe id="810q2" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/810q2/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>What surprised us most was that the category of travel as a share of the total was lower than in previous studies that analyzed the carbon footprint of sporting events. But that was primarily because, unlike in those other studies, we considered many other aspects of the event, such as lodging, food and waste.</p>
<h2>Ways to mitigate impact</h2>
<p>So what can the organizers of March Madness – or any tournament, really – do to reduce the carbon footprint? </p>
<p>Since travel makes up so much of that footprint, targeting emissions from long-distance travel, such as flights, may be one of the most effective ways to lower the event’s overall impact, as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2014.06.003">other researchers have noted</a>.</p>
<p>While travel can’t be completely eliminated for a tournament like the NCAA’s, organizers could consider more regional placements to reduce the distances fans and teams must travel. For example, in 2019, Mississippi State, Liberty, Virginia Tech, Saint Louis and Wisconsin all traveled to San Jose, California. The idea would be for more games to take place regionally to decrease travel distances. This would not only reduce carbon emissions but could also increase profits by making it easier for more fans to attend.</p>
<p>And when evaluating host cities and sites, the NCAA could consider local policies that encourage sustainable hotel operations. For example, during the 2019 tournament, California host sites had more <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1813/70974">energy-efficient hotel operations</a>, thus reducing the second-highest contributor to overall emissions. The same could be said about selecting arenas and sport facilities that are energy efficient.</p>
<p>March Madness brings tremendous value and enjoyment to college basketball fans throughout the country. While its carbon footprint can never be eliminated, there are ways to reduce its overlooked environmental cost.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201540/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brian P. McCullough does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>All those Cinderella stories, buzzer-beating finishes and wild cheering sections have a high price tag – for the climate.Brian P. McCullough, Associate Professor of Sport Management and Director, Center for Sport Management and Education and the Laboratory for Sustainability in Sport, Texas A&M UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1988532023-02-07T22:01:18Z2023-02-07T22:01:18ZAfter months of chaos and disruption, has the Canadian commercial aviation industry learned its lesson?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508494/original/file-20230206-21-w2ddtu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C85%2C2856%2C1796&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The last seven months have seen delays, cancellations, mishandled baggage and miscommunication at Canadian airlines.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Canadian air travellers can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The chaos at airlines and airports appears to finally be over, allowing travellers to once again take to the skies without frustrating delays and cancellations.</p>
<p>But how long will this relief last? Spring Break and the corresponding surge in holiday travel are just around the corner. </p>
<p>Will Canadian commercial aviation prove to have learned its lesson from the last seven months of <a href="https://theconversation.com/air-canada-flight-reductions-faqs-about-the-chaos-in-the-airline-industry-185750">delays, cancellations</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/missing-baggage-air-canada-1.6727981">mishandled baggage</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/passengers-need-more-than-apologies-from-airlines-after-holiday-chaos-198377">miscommunication</a>? </p>
<p>And if it hasn’t, how can Canadians better prepare themselves for potential disruptions in the future?</p>
<h2>Summer airline chaos</h2>
<p>In early 2022, Canadian air carriers celebrated when <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/covid-alta-edmonton-kenney-1.6343576">COVID-19 restrictions were lifted</a>. <a href="https://media.aircanada.com/2022-02-22-Air-Canada-Expands-its-Summer-2022-International-Schedule-Relaunching-34-Routes-to-Europe,-Asia,-Africa-and-The-Middle-East">Air Canada</a> and <a href="https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/news/2022/welcome-back-to-the-skies-canada">WestJet</a> announced significant increases in their summer 2022 operations, touting a relaunch of services to regain traffic and revenue lost during 2020 and 2021 from service interruptions.</p>
<p>Canadian air travellers welcomed these services back, anxious to shed the yoke of COVID-19 travel restrictions and return to the wanderlust of seeing the world in person. </p>
<p>As summer 2022 flights filled with travellers, faint alarm bells were heard about <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/air-canada-flights-july-august-reductions-1.6506451">the aviation infrastructure’s ability to accommodate operations</a> amid the influx. These alarm bells grew louder when passengers were subjected to long wait times, both at departure and arrival. </p>
<p>Flight delays and cancellations quickly became the norm at major Canadian airports. Toronto Pearson International Airport and Montreal-Trudeau International Airport <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/worst-airports-delays-cancellations-summer-2022/index.html">led the world in flight disruptions</a> during the peak summer months.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man in a suit and tie wearing square glasses looks off-camera as he speaks" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508490/original/file-20230206-21-dt35qf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508490/original/file-20230206-21-dt35qf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508490/original/file-20230206-21-dt35qf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508490/original/file-20230206-21-dt35qf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508490/original/file-20230206-21-dt35qf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508490/original/file-20230206-21-dt35qf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508490/original/file-20230206-21-dt35qf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra speaks with reporters before appearing as a witness at a House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in Ottawa in January 2023. The committee is looking into the air passenger protection regulations following travel complications over the holiday season.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There was no shortage of finger-pointing when it came to laying blame for the cause of the summer chaos. <a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/TRAN/meeting-27/evidence">Transport Minister Omar Alghabra stated</a> in August 2022:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“In May, all agencies, companies and airports had a massive labour shortage compared with the surge in demand that occurred then. We acted quickly. We were preparing for it, but the surge ended up being beyond what was expected.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It’s clear the federal government and airlines misjudged the ability of airport infrastructure to handle the sheer volume of air travellers. While the minister may have stated the surge was unexpected, it appears as though <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/21/airlines-temper-flying-ambitions-after-chaotic-travel-rebound.html">airlines knew about passenger volumes</a> but <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airline-workers-summer-flight-chaos-is-deepening-tension-with-management-2022-8">didn’t listen to workers</a>.</p>
<h2>Holiday airline chaos</h2>
<p>Fast forward to December 2022. While Mother Nature received the lion’s share of blame for disrupting air services during the winter months, it is once again evident that <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9362160/edmonton-calgary-vancouver-airport-stranded-passengers-delays-cancelled-flights/">neither airports nor airlines were adequately prepared</a>. </p>
<p>While staffing levels were <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/air-canada-summer-service-1.6553708">touted to have reached pre-pandemic levels</a>, a lack of winter conditions experience and poor operations planning appear to be major contributing factors to the chaos.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People sit on the floor and on benches in an airport" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508493/original/file-20230206-13-wepocu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508493/original/file-20230206-13-wepocu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508493/original/file-20230206-13-wepocu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508493/original/file-20230206-13-wepocu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508493/original/file-20230206-13-wepocu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508493/original/file-20230206-13-wepocu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508493/original/file-20230206-13-wepocu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=491&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People sit on the floor at Vancouver International Airport after a snowstorm disrupted operations leading to cancellations and major delays, in Richmond, B.C., in December 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Disruption has also been the hallmark of the United States’ last six months, from summer delays to the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/airline-news/2023/01/11/faa-computer-outage-delays-flights/11030719002/">Federal Aviation Administration’s system failure</a> to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/27/business/southwest-airlines-service-meltdown/index.html">Southwest Airlines’ computer system meltdown</a>. </p>
<p>Perhaps the current state of commercial aviation can <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/whats-going-on-with-air-travel-today-how-to-fix-it-rcna66501">best be summarized by Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines</a>. When asked about his views of the airline industry in 2023, he said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The system simply can’t handle the volume today, much less the anticipated growth. There are a number of airlines who cannot fly their schedules. The customers are paying the price.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The U.S. Secretary of Transportation has been the focus of media attention for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/20/us/politics/pete-buttigieg-southwest-faa.html">his pronouncements on the need for airlines and airports</a> to increase their customer service levels and ensure flight schedules are realistic and operable.</p>
<h2>What to expect in the future</h2>
<p>What might Canadian air travellers expect over the next few months? Some airlines, like <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sunwing-cancels-regina-service-1.6716836">Sunwing</a>, have reduced services to operate a schedule that is more likely to meet customer expectations.</p>
<p>Other carriers remain operating at an aggressive level, looking to maximize their revenue, profit and targets. While the <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/airport-delays-transport-minister-says-feds-not-asking-airlines-to-cut-back-flights-1.5907284">minister of transport has stated</a> he won’t ask airlines to cut back their schedules, air services need to ensure infrastructure and staffing levels are adequate enough to prevent further disruptions.</p>
<p>In contrast to Canada, the U.S. Transportation Department recognizes its role in reviewing unrealistic airline scheduling and <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/3831396-transportation-department-looking-into-whether-unrealistic-scheduling-played-role-in-southwest-holiday-meltdown/">is actively investigating such practices</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="The silhouette of a man walks in front of a massive window overlooking an airport tarmac with a WestJet plane sitting on it" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508492/original/file-20230206-23-prvko2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508492/original/file-20230206-23-prvko2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508492/original/file-20230206-23-prvko2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508492/original/file-20230206-23-prvko2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508492/original/file-20230206-23-prvko2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508492/original/file-20230206-23-prvko2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/508492/original/file-20230206-23-prvko2.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">WestJet is one of the airlines that has announced reductions in services to better meet customer expectations for air travel services.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Dealing with disruptions</h2>
<p>Short of increased airline regulation in Canada, how can air travellers deal with the potential for continued disruption? </p>
<p>The Air Passenger Protection Regulations of 2019, <a href="https://otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/air-passenger-protection-regulations">which were amended in 2022</a>, offer passengers a way to receive compensation for delays, cancellations and other mishandling. However, the realities of processing a claim through the Canadian Transportation Agency are daunting, to say the least.</p>
<p>The Canadian Transportation Agency <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/backlog-of-airline-complaints-balloons-by-6-395-since-december-travel-chaos-canadian-transportation-agency-1.6254745">currently has a backlog of over 36,000 appeals</a> requiring investigation and resolution, meaning complainants are facing wait times of up to 18 months for their appeal to be addressed. </p>
<p>The minister of transport has <a href="https://www.travelweek.ca/news/more-changes-for-air-passenger-protection-regulations-on-the-way-alghabra/">promised a review of the air passenger protection regulations</a> to address enforcement and efficiency. Canada should take inspiration from <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/226409/Case_analysis_on_the_transposition_and_implementation_of_the_Regulation_on_air_passenger_rights_.pdf">the European Union’s approach to mishandling compensation</a>, where the onus is on air carriers to defend their rationale for not paying compensation.</p>
<p>Canadians have great expectations for the actions about to be taken by the minister of transport and the Canadian government. Patience with the air travel system has worn thin and changes are most definitely needed. I, for one, am looking forward to a solution that quells Canadians’ anxiety on air travel.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198853/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Gradek does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The chaos at airlines and airports appears to finally be over, but will the relief last? Or will Canadians have to brace themselves for more delays, cancellations and miscommunications?John Gradek, Faculty Lecturer and Program Co-ordinator, Supply Chain, Logistics and Operations Management, McGill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1990622023-02-06T13:28:10Z2023-02-06T13:28:10ZThe future of flight in a net-zero-carbon world: 9 scenarios, lots of sustainable aviation fuel<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/508151/original/file-20230203-26-z6qah6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C5003%2C3376&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some airlines are already experimenting with sustainable aviation fuel.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/los-angeles-international-airport-royalty-free-image/567874083">Michael H/Stone Collection/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Several <a href="https://carboncredits.com/airlines-race-to-net-zero-carbon-footprint-2/">major airlines</a> have pledged to <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/programs/environment/flynetzero/">reach net-zero</a> carbon emissions by midcentury to fight climate change. It’s an ambitious goal that will require an enormous ramp-up in sustainable aviation fuels, but that alone won’t be enough, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-01046-9">our latest research</a> shows.</p>
<p>The idea of jetliners running solely on fuel made from used cooking oil from restaurants or corn stalks might seem futuristic, but it’s <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/first-cooking-oil-powered-military-transporter-aircraft">not that far away</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://earth.org/sustainable-aviation-fuel-companies/">Airlines are</a> <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/airbus-a380-saf-cooking-oil-scn/index.html">already experimenting</a> with sustainable aviation fuels, including biofuels made from agriculture residues, trees, corn and used cooking oil, and synthetic fuels made with captured carbon and green hydrogen. </p>
<p>United Airlines, which has been <a href="https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/company/responsibility/sustainable-aviation-fuel.html">using a blend</a> of used oil or waste fat and fossil fuels on some flights from Los Angeles and Amsterdam, recently <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-tallgrass-and-green-plains-form-joint-venture-to-develop-new-sustainable-aviation-fuel-technology-using-ethanol-301734695.html">announced plans</a> to power 50,000 flights a year between its Chicago and Denver hubs using ethanol-based sustainable aviation fuels by 2028. The airline also <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-rallies-businesses-and-consumers-with-new-first-of-its-kind-100-million-sustainable-flight-fund-301751293.html">launched a US$100 million fund</a> on Feb. 21, 2023, with Air Canada, Boeing, GE Aerospace, JPMorgan Chase and Honeywell to invest in sustainable aviation fuel startups to expand the industry.</p>
<p>In a new study, we examined different options for aviation to reach net-zero emissions. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-01046-9">bottom line</a>: Replacing fossil jet fuel with sustainable aviation fuels will be crucial, but the industry will still need to invest in <a href="https://theconversation.com/these-machines-scrub-greenhouse-gases-from-the-air-an-inventor-of-direct-air-capture-technology-shows-how-it-works-172306">direct-air carbon capture and storage</a> to offset emissions that can’t be cut. Each pathway has important trade-offs and hurdles. </p>
<h2>Scenarios for the future</h2>
<p>Before the pandemic, in 2019, aviation accounted for <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/aviation">about 3.1%</a> of total global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion, and the number of passenger miles traveled each year was rising. If aviation emissions were a country, that would make it the sixth-largest emitter, closely following Japan.</p>
<p>In addition to releasing carbon emissions, burning jet fuel produces soot and water vapor, known as contrails, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.117834">that contribute to warming</a>, and these are not avoided by switching to sustainable aviation fuels.</p>
<p><iframe id="JtSL9" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/JtSL9/6/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Aviation is also one of the hardest-to-decarbonize sectors of the economy. Small electric and hydrogen-powered planes are being developed, but long-haul flights with lots of passengers are likely <a href="https://theconversation.com/electric-planes-are-coming-short-hop-regional-flights-could-be-running-on-batteries-in-a-few-years-190098">decades away.
</a></p>
<p>We developed and analyzed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-01046-9">nine scenarios</a> spanning a range of projected passenger and freight demand, energy intensity and carbon intensity of aviation to explore how the industry might get to net-zero emissions by 2050.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
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<span class="caption">Nine scenarios illustrate how much carbon offsets would be required to reach net-zero emissions, depending on choices made about demand and energy and carbon intensity. Each starts with 2021’s emissions (1.2 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent). With rising demand and no improvement in carbon intensity, a large amount of carbon capture will be necessary. Less fossil fuel use and slower demand growth reduce offset needs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-01046-9">Candelaria Bergero</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>We found that as much as 19.8 exajoules of sustainable aviation fuels could be needed for the entire sector to reach net-zero CO₂ emissions. With other efficiency improvements, that could be reduced to as little as 3 exajoules. To put that into context, 3 exajoules is almost equivalent to all <a href="https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/global-biofuel-production-in-2019-and-forecast-to-2025">biofuels produced in 2019</a> and far surpasses the 0.005 exajoules of <a href="https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2021/Jul/IRENA_Reaching_Zero_Biojet_Fuels_2021.pdf">bio-based jet fuel produced in 2019</a>. An exajoule is a measure of energy.</p>
<p>Flying less and improving airplanes’ energy efficiency, such as using <a href="https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-adds-fuel-saving-arrival-routes-11-airports">more efficient “glide” landings</a> that allow airlines to approach the airport with engines at near idle, can help reduce the amount of fuel needed. But even in our rosiest scenarios – where demand grows at 1% per year, compared to the historical average of 4% per year, and energy efficiency improves by 4% per year rather than 1% – aviation would still need about 3 exajoules of sustainable aviation fuels.</p>
<h2>Why offsets are still necessary</h2>
<p>A rapid expansion in biofuel sustainable aviation fuels is easier said than done. It could require as much as 1.2 million square miles (300 million hectares) of dedicated land to grow crops to turn into fuel – roughly 19% of global cropland today.</p>
<p>Another challenge is cost. The <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/publications/economics/fuel-monitor/">global average price of fossil jet fuel</a> is about about US$3 per gallon ($0.80 per liter), while the cost to produce bio-based jet fuels is often twice as much. The cheapest, <a href="https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2021/Jul/IRENA_Reaching_Zero_Biojet_Fuels_2021.pdf">HEFA</a>, which uses fats, oils and greases, ranges in cost from $2.95 to $8.67 per gallon ($0.78 to $2.29 per liter), but it depends on the availability of waste oil.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2021/Jul/IRENA_Reaching_Zero_Biojet_Fuels_2021.pdf">Fischer-Tropsch biofuels</a>, produced by a chemical reaction that converts carbon monoxide and hydrogen into liquid hydrocarbons, range from $3.79 to $8.71 per gallon ($1 to $2.30 per liter). And <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.6b00665">synthetic fuels</a> are from $4.92 to $17.79 per gallon ($1.30 to $4.70 per liter).</p>
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<p>Realistically, reaching net-zero emissions will likely also rely on carbon dioxide removal.</p>
<p>In a future with similar airline use as today, as much as 3.4 gigatons of carbon dioxide would have to be <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/direct-air-capture">captured from the air and locked away</a> – pumped underground, for example – for aviation to reach net-zero. That could cost trillions of dollars.</p>
<p>For these offsets to be effective, the carbon removal would also have to follow a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0415-y">robust eligibility criteria</a> and be effectively permanent. This is <a href="https://carbonmarketwatch.org/flights-of-fancy/">not happening</a> today in airline offsetting programs, where airlines are mostly buying cheap, nonpermanent offsets, such as those involving <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/11/23398780/european-airlines-mislead-customers-carbon-offset-credits-climate-change">forest conservation and management projects</a>.</p>
<p>Some caveats apply to our findings, which could increase the need for offsets even more. </p>
<p>Our assessment assumes sustainable aviation fuels to be net-zero carbon emissions. However, the feedstocks for these fuels <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2021.12.013">currently have life-cycle emissions</a>, including from fertilizer, farming and transportation. The American Society for Testing Materials also currently has a maximum <a href="https://www.iata.org/contentassets/d13875e9ed784f75bac90f000760e998/saf-technical-certifications.pdf">blend limit: up to 50%</a> sustainable fuels can be blended into conventional jet fuel for aviation in the U.S., though airlines have been testing <a href="https://www.atr-aircraft.com/presspost/first-flight-in-history-with-100-sustainable-aviation-fuel-on-a-regional-commercial-aircraft/">100% blends in Europe</a>. </p>
<h2>How to overcome the final hurdles</h2>
<p>To meet the <a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement">climate goals</a> the world has set, emissions in all sectors must decrease – including aviation.</p>
<p>While reductions in demand would help reduce reliance on sustainable aviation fuels, it’s more likely that more and more people will fly in the future, as more people become wealthier. Efficiency improvements will help decrease the amount of energy needed to power aviation, but it won’t eliminate it.</p>
<p>Scaling up sustainable aviation fuel production could decrease its costs. <a href="https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2022-releases/2022-06-21-02/">Quotas</a>, such as those introduced in the <a href="https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/light/topics/fit-55-and-refueleu-aviation">European Union’s “Fit for 55”</a> plan, subsidies and <a href="https://www.thirdway.org/blog/sustainable-aviation-taking-off-thanks-to-inflation-reduction-act">tax credits</a>, like those in the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act signed in 2022, and a carbon tax or other price on carbon, can all help achieve this.</p>
<p>Additionally, given the role that capturing carbon from the atmosphere will play in achieving net-zero emissions, a more robust accounting system is needed internationally to ensure that the offsets are compensating for aviation’s non-CO₂ impacts. If these hurdles are overcome, the aviation sector could achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.</p>
<p><em>This updates an <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-future-of-flight-in-a-net-zero-carbon-world-9-scenarios-lots-of-sustainable-biofuel-199062">article originally published</a> Feb. 6, 2023, to include United Airlines’ investment fund announcement.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199062/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Candelaria Bergero's research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steven J. Davis's research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Agriculture.</span></em></p>Airlines are investing in sustainable biofuel startups and starting to uses alternative fuels, including cooking oil, ag waste and corn ethanol. But biofuels alone won’t be enough, research shows.Candelaria Bergero, Ph.D. Student in Earth System Science, University of California, IrvineSteve Davis, Professor of Earth System Science, University of California, IrvineLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1986722023-02-05T19:01:22Z2023-02-05T19:01:22ZWhat’s the safest seat on a plane? We asked an aviation expert<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507484/original/file-20230201-21-qbpzqq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C44%2C2977%2C1949&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When booking a flight, do you ever think about which seat will protect you the most in an emergency? Probably not. </p>
<p>Most people book seats for comfort, such as leg room, or convenience, such as easy access to toilets. Frequent flyers (this author included) might book their seat as close as possible to the front so they can disembark more quickly.</p>
<p>We rarely book a flight with hopes of getting one of the middle seats in the last row. Well, guess what? These seats are statistically <a href="https://time.com/3934663/safest-seat-airplane/">the safest ones on an airplane</a>.</p>
<h2>Air travel is safe</h2>
<p>Before we get into it, I should reiterate that air travel is the <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/how-safe-is-flying-heres-what-the-statistics-say/knzczab06">safest mode of transport</a>. In 2019, there were just under <a href="https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/flightradar24s-2019-by-the-numbers/">70 million</a> flights globally, with only <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2020/01/02/aviation-safety-in-2019-fewer-deaths-but-more-fatal-accidents/?sh=58d372f74ceb">287 fatalities</a>. </p>
<p>According to the US National Safety Council’s analysis of census data, the odds of <a href="https://time.com/3934663/safest-seat-airplane/">dying in a plane</a> are about 1 in 205,552, compared with 1 in 102 in a car. Even so, we pay little attention to fatal road accidents, but when we hear about an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/15/nepal-plane-crash-with-72-onboard-leaves-at-least-16-dead">ATR72 crashing in Nepal</a> it’s the lead story on every news page.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/qantas-flight-mayday-can-a-plane-normally-fly-on-just-one-engine-an-aviation-expert-explains-198142">Qantas flight mayday: can a plane normally fly on just one engine? An aviation expert explains</a>
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<p>Our interest in plane crashes might lie in wanting to understand why they happen, or what the odds are of them happening again. And perhaps it’s not a bad thing; our concern ensures these tragic incidents are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/plane-crashes-nepal-singapore-kathmandu-accidents-3b26342109872610d922f515fe94455b">thoroughly investigated</a>, which helps keep air travel safe.</p>
<p>Frankly speaking, there is no real need to worry about safety when you board a commercial flight. But if you’ve still got that nagging question in your head, driven by sheer curiosity, read on.</p>
<h2>In the middle, at the back</h2>
<p>It’s worth remembering accidents by their very nature do not conform to standards. In the 1989 <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/United-Airlines-Flight-232">United Flight 232</a> crash in Sioux City, Iowa, 184 of the 269 people onboard survived the accident. Most of the survivors were sitting behind first class, towards the front of the plane.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, a <a href="https://time.com/3934663/safest-seat-airplane/">TIME investigation</a> that looked at 35 years of aircraft accident data found the middle rear seats of an aircraft had the lowest fatality rate: 28%, compared with 44% for the middle aisle seats.</p>
<p>This logically makes sense too. Sitting next to an exit row will always provide you with the fastest exit in the case of an emergency, granted there’s no fire on that side. But the wings of a plane store fuel, so this disqualifies the middle exit rows <a href="https://www.rd.com/list/flight-safety/">as the safest row option</a>.</p>
<p>At the same time, being closer to the front means you’ll be impacted before those in the back, which leaves us with the last exit row. As for why the middle seats are safer than the window or aisle seats, that is, as you might expect, because of the buffer provided by having people on either side.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507486/original/file-20230201-24-8p3bpc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A front view of the wing of a commercial plane." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507486/original/file-20230201-24-8p3bpc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507486/original/file-20230201-24-8p3bpc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507486/original/file-20230201-24-8p3bpc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507486/original/file-20230201-24-8p3bpc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507486/original/file-20230201-24-8p3bpc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507486/original/file-20230201-24-8p3bpc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507486/original/file-20230201-24-8p3bpc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The wings of commercial planes store fuel, which can make this area slightly more hazardous in the very unlikely event of an emergency.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<h2>Some emergencies are worse than others</h2>
<p>The type of emergency will also dictate survivability. Running into a mountain will decrease chances of survival exponentially, as was the case in a tragic 1979 disaster in New Zealand. Air New Zealand Flight TE901 crashed into the slopes of Mt Erebus <a href="https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/erebus-disaster">in Antarctica</a>, killing 257 passengers and crew.</p>
<p>Landing in the ocean nose-first also decreases chances of survival, as witnessed with the 2009 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/10/air-france-flight-af477-2009-crash-trial-airbus">Air France Flight 447</a>, in which 228 passengers and crew perished. </p>
<p>Pilots are trained to minimise potential risk in an emergency event as best as they can. They will try to avoid hitting mountains and look for a level place, such as an open field, to land as normally as possible. The technique for <a href="https://www.aviationsafetymagazine.com/features/the-myths-of-ditching/">landing in water</a> requires assessing the surface conditions and attempting to land between waves at a normal landing angle.</p>
<p>Aircraft are designed to be very robust in emergency situations. In fact, the main reason the cabin crew remind us to keep our seat belts fastened is not because of crash risk, but because of “<a href="https://www.skybrary.aero/articles/clear-air-turbulence-cat">clear air turbulence</a>” that can be experienced at any time at high altitudes. It is this weather phenomenon that can cause the most damage to <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-12-20/turbulence-persists-as-a-major-cause-of-injuries-on-flights">passengers and aircraft</a>. </p>
<p>Manufacturers are designing new planes with more composite materials capable of handing in-flight stress. In these designs, the wings are not rigid and can flex to absorb <a href="https://www.wired.com/2010/03/boeing-787-passes-incredible-wing-flex-test/">extreme loading</a> to prevent structural failure. </p>
<h2>Does the type of plane make a difference?</h2>
<p>Granted, there are certain variables, such as impact from airspeed, that can vary slightly between different airplane types. However, the <a href="https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/UEET/StudentSite/dynamicsofflight.html">physics of flight</a> is more or less the same in all planes.</p>
<p>Generally, larger planes will have more structural material and therefore more strength to withstand pressurisation at altitude. This means they may provide some additional protection in an emergency – but this, again, is highly dependent on the severity of the emergency.</p>
<p>That’s not to say you should book your next flight on the largest plane you can find. As I’ve mentioned, air travel remains very safe. So I’d suggest thinking about what movie you’ll watch instead, and hoping they don’t run out of chicken and only have the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/19/6-airplane-foods-you-should-avoid-according-to-food-safety-experts.html">shrimp</a> left!</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/jetlag-hits-differently-depending-on-your-travel-direction-here-are-6-tips-to-get-over-it-196730">Jetlag hits differently depending on your travel direction. Here are 6 tips to get over it</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Doug Drury does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The bottom line is air travel is very safe – much safer than road travel. But that doesn’t stop us from wondering…Doug Drury, Professor/Head of Aviation, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1967302023-01-31T04:34:33Z2023-01-31T04:34:33ZJetlag hits differently depending on your travel direction. Here are 6 tips to get over it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507238/original/file-20230130-22-68bz1j.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=80%2C80%2C6629%2C4386&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>After a few difficult years of lockdowns and travel restrictions, people are finally winging their way across the globe again; families are being reunited and sights are being seen. </p>
<p>Yet the joys of international travel often come with a side of jetlag, which can make it hard to initially enjoy a holiday, and to settle in once you return home.</p>
<p>Why do people experience jetlag? And is there anything you can do to lessen its effects?</p>
<h2>What causes jetlag?</h2>
<p>The term “jetlag” describes the physical and cognitive symptoms people experience when travelling quickly across several timezones.</p>
<p>Before you leave for a trip, you’re synchronised to your local time. Once you enter a new timezone, your body’s rhythms are no longer lined up with the clock on the wall.</p>
<p>That’s when jetlag symptoms hit. You’re sleepy when you want to be awake, and wide awake when you want to be asleep. You’re hungry in the middle of the night, and might feel bloated or nauseous if you eat during the day.</p>
<p>Until your body clock and all the rhythms it controls line up with the new local time, you are physiologically and mentally discombobulated. Not a happy holiday vibe! </p>
<h2>Jetlag isn’t the same for everyone</h2>
<p>Interestingly, the experience of jetlag varies between people. That’s because we all tick along to our own internal rhythm. </p>
<p>Most of us have a natural daily cycle of about 24.2 hours. So if we lived in a cave and didn’t see any light, our sleep/wake cycle and other daily rhythms would tick along at about 24.2 hours. Researchers think <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsfs.2019.0098">this is an evolutionary adaptation</a> that allows us to adjust to different day lengths across the year. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/morning-lark-or-night-owl-how-our-body-clocks-affect-our-mental-and-physical-performance-106486">Morning lark or night owl? How our body clocks affect our mental and physical performance</a>
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<p>But some people have slightly longer cycles than others, and this may play a role in how a person experiences jetlag.</p>
<p><a href="https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000418">Research suggests</a> if you have a longer cycle you <em>might</em> adjust quicker to westward travel, such as when travelling from Australia to South Africa, but we don’t know if a shorter cycle helps going the other way. </p>
<p>We also get a little less resilient as we age, so the older among us might have worse jetlag symptoms. </p>
<h2>Does direction of travel matter?</h2>
<p>More generally, many people find westward travel, where you “gain” time, a bit easier.</p>
<p>Say Jasmine and Sarah depart Adelaide at the same time. Jasmine lands in Perth in the afternoon, where it’s about 2.5 hours earlier in the day. She sees some sights and easily falls asleep at about 8.30pm local time. She then wakes up very early and starts her day. </p>
<p>Because Jasmine’s body clock naturally delays – shifting a little later relative to the local time each day – after a few days she is fully synchronised. </p>
<p>Sarah, meanwhile, lands in Auckland which is about 2.5 hours later in the day. She takes advantage of the balmy evening and some of the night, and is wide awake until 2am. She then struggles out of bed when the alarm goes off at 7am, because it’s still 4.30am on her body clock.</p>
<p>Sarah will likely feel the effects of jetlag more severely than Jasmine, and for longer.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507240/original/file-20230130-20-o9e5w7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A view from the front of a cabin of various plane passengers sleeping with eye masks." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507240/original/file-20230130-20-o9e5w7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507240/original/file-20230130-20-o9e5w7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507240/original/file-20230130-20-o9e5w7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507240/original/file-20230130-20-o9e5w7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507240/original/file-20230130-20-o9e5w7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507240/original/file-20230130-20-o9e5w7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507240/original/file-20230130-20-o9e5w7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The process of lining up your body clock to your new timezone can start before you reach your destination – on the plane!</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<h2>Is jetlag just ‘psychological’?</h2>
<p>Some people might wonder if jetlag is just in your head. Well, in a way it is, because it’s a mismatch between your body’s internal time (which is determined in your brain) and your local time.</p>
<p>But that doesn’t mean you can talk yourself out of jetlag. It’s better thought of as a physiological condition, rather than a psychological one. </p>
<p>Luckily, there are a few simple ways to alleviate jetlag symptoms and help your body clock adjust. This is particularly important <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-021-01502-0">for elite athletes</a> who travel to compete.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>First, decide whether it’s worth trying to adapt to the new time or not. If it’s only a short trip, it might make more sense to stay on your home time. If it’s longer than three days, start consciously moving your own rhythms – such as when you sleep, eat, exercise and get sunlight – towards the new timezone.</p></li>
<li><p>If you’re trying to shift your body clock, it’s a good idea to start on the plane. Set your watch to your destination’s timezone and line up your activities accordingly.</p></li>
<li><p>Keep caffeine and alcohol intake low on the journey. This will be better for sleep and hydration, and will help with adjusting your body clock to the new timezone.</p></li>
<li><p>When adjusting to a new timezone, try to sleep during the local night time and just rest when you need to at other times. Short naps can give you a boost to get through the day and evening activities. Aim for about 30 minutes and avoid naps later in the day as you near your actual planned bedtime.</p></li>
<li><p>Gastrointestinal discomfort is a symptom of jet lag. If you’re prone to or experience tummy trouble while travelling, stick to small meals and eat when you’re hungry. Your body will tell you when it’s ready for food. Tip 3 about caffeine and alcohol applies here too.</p></li>
<li><p>Get outside. Sunlight is key to adjusting to a new timezone. Depending on your timezone change, appropriately-timed <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.00927/full">outside activities</a> will help.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If that’s not enough, the Sleep Health Foundation has more tips <a href="https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/tips-to-help-combat-jet-lag.html">here</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-there-such-a-thing-as-the-perfect-alarm-tone-we-think-so-and-this-is-what-it-might-sound-like-178902">Is there such a thing as the perfect alarm tone? We think so (and this is what it might sound like)</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196730/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sally Ferguson's research is funded in part by the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dean J Miller's research is funded in part by the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian research council, and WHOOP Inc.</span></em></p>Most of us have a natural sleep cycle of just over 24 hours. Experts think it’s an evolutionary adaptation to help us adjust to different day lengths.Sally Ferguson, Director, Appleton Institute, CQUniversity AustraliaDean J. Miller, Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1983772023-01-29T14:22:05Z2023-01-29T14:22:05ZPassengers need more than apologies from airlines after holiday chaos<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506171/original/file-20230124-16-k13r3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C4%2C2977%2C1989&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Flight cancellations over the holidays left travellers stranded at airports across North America amid an intense winter storm.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A snowball effect initiated in Vancouver <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canada-weather-travel-chaos">created an avalanche of travel chaos</a> over the holidays at a time when many had overcome their <a href="https://theconversation.com/fear-of-travelling-canadians-need-to-put-travel-risk-into-perspective-171193">fear of travelling</a> following the COVID-19 pandemic and thought it was <a href="https://theconversation.com/amid-flight-cancellations-and-airport-chaos-is-it-worth-traveling-right-now-187045">worth travelling again</a>. </p>
<p>A heavy winter storm first affected <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/snowstorm-halts-vancouver-flights-canadas-second-busiest-airport-2022-12-20/">Canada’s second busiest airport</a>, the Vancouver International Airport. Other storms quickly spread across the country with <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-23/massive-winter-storm-cancels-holiday-flights-across-canada">a disastrous impact on holiday travel</a>. Many people were stuck in planes, trains and automobiles or were stranded in airports.</p>
<p>This is a stale plot line, reminiscent of the summer of 2022 when thousands of flights were disrupted, leaving customers angry and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2056928835691">earning Canada a bad reputation</a>. Toronto Pearson Airport became the worst airport in the world for delays and cancellations. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVsrZ_RQMs4">It’s easy to blame the weather</a> for the airline chaos, but deeper problems caused this turmoil. </p>
<h2>Weather can’t be the main culprit</h2>
<p>Canadians know the risks associated with winter travelling. As smart consumers, they are aware that weather can always have an impact on travel. But shouldn’t the transportation sector across Canada be able to effectively manage weather-related crises?</p>
<p>The chaos felt by Canadian consumers cannot be blamed on weather alone. After all, <a href="https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canadians-airport-passport-summer-travel-survey">similar signs were seen</a> this past summer.</p>
<p>Most of the travel-related trouble in the summer was linked to a <a href="https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2022/04/04/air-travel-sector-faces-a-labour-shortage-heading-into-a-busy-summer-season/230100/">labour deficit</a> that had been well identified by the sector and signalled earlier. This shortage had been ongoing long before 2020, but the pandemic exacerbated it.</p>
<p>Once travel resumed, the labour crisis became more visible. Government, airports and airlines should have planned with more urgency, especially since they had known about the gravity of <a href="https://www.cbaa-acaa.ca/CBAADocs/Theresa%20Davis-Woodhouse%20Dealing%20with%20Labour%20Shortages%20CBAA%202018.pdf">the situation since 2018</a>. </p>
<p>Following the summer chaos, <a href="https://canadatoday.news/ab/minister-of-transport-confident-of-a-smooth-holiday-flight-season-although-a-large-number-of-passengers-is-expected-52728/">Transport Minister Omar Alghabra felt confident</a> that the trouble was behind us. The recent winter catastrophe proved otherwise.</p>
<h2>Crew shortages</h2>
<p>The airline chaos over the holidays can be attributed to three main problems: labour, disruption management and communication.</p>
<p>Labour remains a major concern for airports and airlines. In January, the <a href="https://www.westernstandard.news/news/transport-minister-alghabra-blames-airlines-for-travel-chaos-says-review-is-underway/article_7ac62c44-9290-11ed-902f-b7914eb7296a.html">CEO and president of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority acknowledged this, saying</a>: “Labour is still very weak across the board of our partners.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A blue and white plane with the 'Sunwing' logo written across the side in orange" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506174/original/file-20230124-26-iga6q1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506174/original/file-20230124-26-iga6q1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506174/original/file-20230124-26-iga6q1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506174/original/file-20230124-26-iga6q1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506174/original/file-20230124-26-iga6q1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506174/original/file-20230124-26-iga6q1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506174/original/file-20230124-26-iga6q1.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Canadian travellers were left stranded in Mexico after the airline cancelled flights over the holidays.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Canadian airlines have been <a href="https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/1930371/air-canada-westjet-launch-legal-battles-to-overturn-orders-to-compensate-passengers-for-cancelled-flights">delaying and cancelling flights for months due to crew shortages</a>. These staffing issues were magnified over the holiday season with Canadian airlines’ performance being ranked as among the <a href="https://thedeepdive.ca/canadian-airlines-suck-study-reveals-that-air-canada-and-westjet-rank-lowest-in-on-time-performance/">worst in the world</a>.</p>
<p>Sunwing <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/sunwing-travel-holiday-passenger-rights-1.6702144">left travellers stranded in Mexico</a> and cancelled flights because of a lack of pilots — <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-airline-sector-crisis-thousands-of-pilots-lost-their-jobs-during-the/">a problem identified months earlier</a> that could have been dealt with. Hiring foreign pilots would have offset the pilot shortage, but <a href="https://simpleflying.com/sunwings-union-opposes-foreign-crew-plans/">Sunwing’s pilot union opposes</a> the hiring of foreign workers.</p>
<h2>Disruption management</h2>
<p>The second issue is that the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2020.105137">disruption management systems</a> used by airlines don’t appear to be the most efficient. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2020.08.021">Disruption management systems</a> are used to “reassign resources (like flights, aircraft and crews) and redistribute passengers to restore the schedule while minimizing costs.” </p>
<p>This <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-logistics-and-infrastructure/our-insights/the-hidden-value-in-airline-operations">inefficiency is expensive</a>, both in dollars and customer satisfaction.</p>
<p>The chaos was caused, in part, by the airlines’ inability to adequately match the availability and flow of aircraft, crew and passengers. This is a complex management problem that can only be resolved with modern technological tools. </p>
<p>Not having the right tools can cripple airlines, as seen recently with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/28/travel/southwest-airlines-flight-cancellations.html">Southwest Airlines</a>. Some travel tech companies, like <a href="https://amadeus.com/documents/en/airlines/other/atc-disruption-14-11.pdf">Amadeus</a>, propose disruption management solutions to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2020.08.021">help airlines recover</a> aircraft, crew and passengers during and after a crisis.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman stands in the middle of a wide hallway filled to the brim with suitcases" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506172/original/file-20230124-1539-hu9lnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506172/original/file-20230124-1539-hu9lnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506172/original/file-20230124-1539-hu9lnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506172/original/file-20230124-1539-hu9lnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506172/original/file-20230124-1539-hu9lnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506172/original/file-20230124-1539-hu9lnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506172/original/file-20230124-1539-hu9lnn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Southwest Airlines staff sorts suitcases near the baggage carousel at Los Angeles International Airport on Dec. 27, 2022, after Southwest Airlines flights were cancelled and delayed during a winter storm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Communication and passenger rights</h2>
<p>The final and potentially most frustrating problem for consumers was the lack of communication from airlines. A key aspect of crisis management is <a href="https://instituteforpr.org/state-crisis-communication-evidence-bleeding-edge/">communicating effectively and ethically</a> with consumers.</p>
<p>Travellers were left stranded and powerless with little information on possible solutions from airlines. There are passenger rights in Canada, but do Canadians know their rights? And are these rights being respected by governments and airlines?</p>
<p>According to the 2019 <a href="https://otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/air-passenger-protection-regulations-highlights">Air Passenger Protection Regulations</a>, passengers must be informed of their rights in a timely, clear and accessible way. Airlines must provide passengers with information for flight delays or cancellations, denial of boarding, and lost or damaged baggage. </p>
<p>As of September 2022, airlines “flying to, from and within Canada <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sandramacgregor/2022/09/10/what-you-need-to-know-about-canadas-new-refund-rules-for-flights/">must now issue</a> a full refund for flight cancellations and delays if passengers can’t be accommodated on a new flight within 48 hours.” </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1613608153970794497"}"></div></p>
<p>However, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9117539/canada-new-air-travel-regulations/">airlines use loopholes</a>, invoking “safety reasons” <a href="https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/1930371/air-canada-westjet-launch-legal-battles-to-overturn-orders-to-compensate-passengers-for-cancelled-flights">to avoid paying</a> fines and compensation to travellers.</p>
<p>Clearly, current regulations are not enough to protect travellers, and airlines are not fined by the Canadian Transportation Agency <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9404470/travel-delays-canada-transport-committee/">for failing to provide compensation</a> under the legislation.</p>
<p>The Canadian government seems to agree with this assessment. On Jan. 24, Alghabra said <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/air-passenger-bill-of-rights-reform-1.6724088">the government is planning to overhaul the air passenger bill of rights</a> this coming spring. Changes will include regulatory reform and potentially new legislation.</p>
<h2>Industry should be better prepared</h2>
<p>Canadians are used to hearing “I’m sorry.” But after the transportation crisis this past holiday season, apologies from some major airlines, airports and government officials are not enough. <a href="https://airlineweekly.com/2022/06/air-canada-offers-rare-apology-for-disruptions-cuts-15-percent-of-summer-flights/">They’ve heard it before</a>. It’s time to protect passengers from travel companies.</p>
<p>The federal government, airports and airlines have a joint responsibility to improve operations, manage the labour gap and address better customer protection before another blizzard can be used as an excuse. </p>
<p>Indeed, airlines are now asking <a href="https://airlinecouncil.ca/january-24-2023-the-hill-times-take-advantage-of-real-opportunities-to-improve-the-airline-passenger-protection-regulations/">to share responsibilities with other stakeholders</a> such as airports, air controllers, security and screening personnel, or the Canada Border Services Agency.</p>
<p>The storm exposed a lack of operational preparedness and a failure to put in place effective disruption management systems. Today, passengers know that apologies from government, airports and airlines are not acceptable answers for major travel disruptions. We all deserve better.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198377/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>After the transportation crisis this past holiday season, apologies from major airlines, airports and government officials are not enough. It’s time to protect passengers from travel companies.Frédéric Dimanche, Professor and Director, Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityKelley A. McClinchey, Teaching Faculty, Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1968722022-12-20T04:34:03Z2022-12-20T04:34:03ZWhat is air turbulence?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502061/original/file-20221220-18-124g72.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=29%2C14%2C4882%2C3254&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/iiqpxCg2GD4">Philip Myrtorp / Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You probably know the feeling: you’re sitting on a plane, happily cruising through the sky, when suddenly the seat-belt light comes on and things get a little bumpy.</p>
<p>Most of the time, turbulence leads to nothing worse than momentary jitters or perhaps a spilled cup of coffee. In rare cases, passengers or flight attendants might end up with some injuries.</p>
<p>What’s going on here? Why are flights usually so stable, but sometimes get so unsteady?</p>
<p>As a meteorologist and atmospheric scientist who studies air turbulence, let me explain.</p>
<h2>What is air turbulence?</h2>
<p>Air turbulence is when the air starts to flow in a chaotic or random way. </p>
<p>At high altitudes the wind usually moves in a smooth, horizontal current called “laminar flow”. This provides ideal conditions for steady flight.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A diagram showing laminar flow and turbulent flow." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502063/original/file-20221220-20-4bvy8f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502063/original/file-20221220-20-4bvy8f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502063/original/file-20221220-20-4bvy8f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502063/original/file-20221220-20-4bvy8f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502063/original/file-20221220-20-4bvy8f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502063/original/file-20221220-20-4bvy8f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502063/original/file-20221220-20-4bvy8f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In ‘laminar flow’, air moves smoothly in one direction. When turbulence begins, it goes every which way.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Turbulence occurs when something disrupts this smooth flow, and the air starts to move up and down as well as horizontally. When this happens, conditions can change from moment to moment and place to place.</p>
<p>You can think of normal flying conditions as the glassy surface of the ocean on a still day. But when a wind comes up, things get choppy, or waves form and break – that’s turbulence.</p>
<h2>What causes air turbulence?</h2>
<p>The kind of turbulence that affects commercial passenger flights has three main causes.</p>
<p>The first is thunderstorms. Inside a thunderstorm, there is strong up-and-down air movement, which makes a lot of turbulence that can spread out to the surrounding region. Thunderstorms can also create “atmospheric waves”, which travel through the surrounding air and eventually break, causing turbulence. </p>
<p>Fortunately, pilots can usually see thunderstorms ahead (either with the naked eye or on radar) and will make efforts to go around them.</p>
<p>The other common causes of turbulence create what’s typically called “clear-air turbulence”. It comes out of air that looks perfectly clear, with no clouds, so it’s harder to dodge.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A diagram showing mountains, air currents and turbulence." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502065/original/file-20221220-16-45aimu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502065/original/file-20221220-16-45aimu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502065/original/file-20221220-16-45aimu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502065/original/file-20221220-16-45aimu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502065/original/file-20221220-16-45aimu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502065/original/file-20221220-16-45aimu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502065/original/file-20221220-16-45aimu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jet streams and mountains are common causes of clear-air turbulence.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The second cause of turbulence is jet streams. These are high-speed winds in the upper atmosphere, at the kind of altitudes where passenger jets fly. </p>
<p>While air inside the jet stream moves quite smoothly, there is often turbulence near the top and bottom of the stream. That’s because there is a big difference in air speed (called “wind shear”) between the jet stream and the air outside it. High levels of wind shear create turbulence.</p>
<p>The third thing that makes turbulence is mountains. As air flows over a mountain range, it creates another kind of wave – called, of course, a “mountain wave” – that disrupts air flow and can create turbulence.</p>
<h2>Can air turbulence be avoided?</h2>
<p>Pilots do their best to avoid air turbulence – and they’re pretty good at it!</p>
<p>As mentioned, thunderstorms are the easiest to fly around. For clear-air turbulence, things are a little trickier.</p>
<p>When pilots encounter turbulence, they will change altitude to try to avoid it. They also report the turbulence to air traffic controllers, who pass the information on to other flights in the area so they can try to avoid it. </p>
<p>Weather forecasting centres also provide turbulence forecasts. Based on their models of what’s happening in the atmosphere, they can predict where and when clear-air turbulence is likely to occur.</p>
<h2>Will climate change make turbulence worse?</h2>
<p>As the globe warms and the climate changes in coming decades, we think air turbulence will also be affected.</p>
<p>One reason is that the jet streams which can cause turbulence are shifting and may become more intense. As Earth’s tropical climate zones spread away from the equator, the jet streams are moving with them.</p>
<p>This is likely to increase turbulence on at least some flight routes. Some studies also <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1465-z">suggest</a> the wind shear around jet streams has become more intense.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/could-climate-change-have-played-a-role-in-the-airasia-crash-36002">Could climate change have played a role in the AirAsia crash?</a>
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<p>Another reason is that the most severe thunderstorms are also likely to become more intense, partly because a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapour. This too is likely to generate more intense turbulence.</p>
<p>These predictions are largely based on climate models, because it is difficult to collect the data needed to identify trends in air turbulence. These data largely come from reports by aircraft, the quality and extent of which are changing over time. These measurements are quite different from the long-term, methodically gathered data usually used to detect trends in the weather and climate.</p>
<h2>How dangerous is air turbulence?</h2>
<p>Around the globe, air turbulence causes hundreds of injuries each year among passengers and flight attendants on commercial aircraft. But, given the hundreds of millions of people who fly each year, those are pretty good odds.</p>
<p>Turbulence is usually short-lived. What’s more, modern aircraft are engineered to comfortably withstand all but the most extreme air turbulence. </p>
<p>And among people who are injured, the great majority are those who aren’t strapped in. So if you’re concerned, the easiest way to protect yourself is to wear your seat belt. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-the-real-reason-to-turn-on-aeroplane-mode-when-you-fly-188585">Here's the real reason to turn on aeroplane mode when you fly</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Todd Lane receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>When something disrupts the smooth, laminar flow of high-altitude winds, your flight might get a little bumpy.Todd Lane, Professor, School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.