Next Step for Green: Friendly Skies?

Feb. 20, 2008 -- For years, the "green" movement has battled to secure a place within the American national consciousness. But now it looks as if it's about to take off -- literally.

Sure, the travel industry has been toying with small steps in environmental consciousness — like starting recycling programs on passenger jets, and offering hybrid rental cars. But at the end of this month, Virgin Atlantic will take a bigger step (while ideally leaving a smaller footprint) when it tests the first biofuel-run commercial airline flight.

"It's important for the industry, and we have to start somewhere," says Virgin Atlantic spokesperson Brooke Lawer.

But passengers aiming to reduce their carbon footprint should know exactly what biofuel is, why it can be good for the environment, and also why it could be potentially worse.

Until now, travelers' options for going green have been basic and relatively unheralded, especially when it comes to flying.

"Airlines definitely have a long way to go as far as going green," said Melissa Evans of Rezhub.com, an online travel site that donates 20 percent of profits to green organizations.

She noted that airlines have it a lot harder than the hotel industry, which has scores of hotels touting energy-efficient lighting and water-saving options like a pass on your daily linen change.

What airlines can do: implement on-board recycling programs, use lighter materials to burn less fuel and introduce carbon offset programs — a small donation passengers can make to offset the environmental impact of their trips.

Virgin Atlantic has done all three, not that too many people seem to care yet.

Case in point: The travel Web site Expedia.com launched a carbon offset program in 2006. It's one of the largest programs of its kind in the world, but thus far the company has only sold offsets for 60,000 round-trip flights.

"Overall, it's a small number of customers, but growing," said Expedia spokesperson Katie Deines. "Purchase behavior follows consumer consciousness."

According to Expedia's qualitative research, in 2007, 77 percent of consumers said they'd have a more favorable opinion of a travel company that offers sustainable products. But are they willing to pay more for it?

"It will be interesting to see," said Deines, comparing the trend to the increasing demand for pricier organic food. "If it's delivering a value and people can see that value, they'll be willing to pay more."

Not everyone agrees. In October of last year, a survey by the Travel Industry Organization found that while more than half of adults say they're likely to choose environmentally friendly airlines, hotels and rental cars, only 13 percent would be willing to pay more for it.

"The results of the survey suggest that awareness of a travel service supplier's efforts to operate in an environmentally responsible manner may be sufficient to attract additional patronage, but not at a significantly higher fare or rate," said Suzanne Cook, TIA's senior vice president of research.