AIBU to ask how many of you are seriously revising whether (or how often) you fly again?

[Thelowquietsea]

We don't fly often (one flight a year tops, mostly to Europe) but reducing my air travel is one of the few differences I can make towards climate change.

And yet, I'm celebrating a big birthday this year. I had an idea to take myself to a retreat quite far away, and now it's 'booking' time, I can't quite bring myself to do it. Especially in light of Australia's tragedy. I'm really torn.

How many of you are making serious sacrifices in this area?

I fly between France and the UK regularly. I feel quite conflicted but my df is 89 and I need to visit him and this is the quickest way.
I hope eventually not to return so much and will drive for holidays to Spain or Italy in my hybrid car.

We fly a lot, both long haul and short. Dh also flies all over the world for business.

I can't see it changing tbh.

I don't plan on reducing the amount of flights I take (4 or 5 return trips a year). I will offset them though.

I don't own a car and I walk everywhere so swings and roundabouts for me.

Nope

We fly once every 3-4 years. There are people in DHs work who fly to China for a one day meeting.
We aren’t the people causing the issue.

I fly when I go on holiday four times a year and I’m not changing that.

I fly infrequently, have got to early 40s w/o having kids and don’t drive.

So I wouldn’t feel too guilty if I were to win the next rollover and suddenly wanted to go globetrotting... 😇

@Ihatesundays - I agree. There are people flying all the time. But it doesn't diminish my own feelings of culpability and wanting to make a stand (and yet feeling torn!)

Nope. Plan to fly long haul once this year.

I try not to fly if it can be avoided, tend to holiday in the UK or Ireland (travelling by boat), and have no plans for a long-haul flight. If there was a reason to do it, such as DH wanting to go overseas for a big birthday, I'd do it as a one-off but offset it if I could.

I do 5 return trips a year to visit my partner who lives abroad. I won't be giving up any of these trips.

I also drive a lot for work as im self employed and based all over the place, usually out in the sticks where there's no public transport.

Until China and the US start doing something I can't imagine anything I do will make any difference whatsoever

My parents live in a different country and travelling by land to see them each year would eat up a chunk of my leave which I would otherwise spend with them. So that won’t change. The rest of the time we go on holiday by train.

i recycle everything i can, i buy what i can from charity shops, i don't waste water, i don't drive, walk when possible,i rarely eat meat or much dairy at all, we travel abroad on 2 holidays a year, not long haul just to Europe, i have no intention of changing that at the moment.

I didn't fly at all in 2019. Partly because of environmental issues, but in truth probably more because flying with children isn't much fun, I'm anxious about flying anyway, and the cost of taking school holidays away. I also love holidays in the UK. We went to the Isle of Wight last year.

However I'm not sure me not affording/wanting to fly anywhere really is going to help that much (sadly!).

DH is looking at this at work and we have cut down at home.
But I'm going to be honest our carbon footprint is still too high and flights are still a part of this.

Until China and the US start doing something I can't imagine anything I do will make any difference whatsoever

I agree. Even in other European countries they don’t have this guilt (or even awareness) over climate, plastic etc. Greece last summer was a mountain of plastic water bottles. I hardly think my 6 short haul flights in 16 years is going to bring the world to its knees.

I want to look my DC in the eyes when, if nothing changes, they enter adulthood with a bleak future. I'm not flying and am revising plans for my big birthday this year to accommodate this.

I fly long haul a few times a year for work. Have been dithering about the family holiday as we have always flown quite a lot. I think we will aim for no-fly holidays for the next few years while the DC are relatively young, I can't watch the fires in Australia (and elsewhere) and continue in the same way. A large number of people seem to believe that global warming is real, but also that their flights and actions don't contribute and someone else should be solving the problem for them. I think we need to step up and change our lifestyles, but it does feel hard to miss out, or to deny our children enriching experiences because of it.

How about Paris or another city via Eurostar for your birthday?

I don't fly at all. I never have.

Realistically I won’t, although I will feel guilty. I probably fly (return) on average twice a year. However, if legislation was to be passed that compelled me (and others) to fly less, I’d be happy with it.

I've cut down. Used to fly 4/5 times a year. Now every second year. I can't change the world but I can play my small part.

I try to avoid flying for a few years now and even managed to visit family in south Germany via train. It helps having a generous leave package which means that I can afford to take a day or two to drive slowly somewhere and spend a few weeks in an area rather than a weekend break. I love the experience of train travel and I love discovering random places on the drive somewhere and find it much more relaxing than flying, so the climate advantage is a good bonus!

When every continent is either drowning or burning, governments will have to ground most planes.
Honestly I think we'll see that in ten years, maybe twenty tops.
We will no longer have the choices we have now.

Not all airlines are created equally. Look at ones cutting their emissions and making strides with their carbon foot print.
Virgin are innovative and moving in the right direction corporate.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/sustainability/climate-action.html

Side point. But DH is an airline pilot who lands at Heathrow a lot. Do you know how much circling of LHR he has to do because the runways are so busy. It sickens him the needless fuel waste and emissions due to there not being enough run ways.
Build another runway and all this waste (I'm talking tonnes and tonnes of fuel) goes away.
Just a side note as sometimes what we think is the most environmental answer isnt.

Hmm I am super into being more eco - I’ve went completely plastic free with shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste, toothbrushes, cleaning products - no wet wipes of any sort, switched to a moon cup many years ago - I cycle everywhere and don’t own a car ! Have my metal water bottle so haven’t bought a plastic bottle of water or anything else in years! No quick cheap fashion anymore -rarely buy any new clothes at all make the most of what I’ve got!! Basically stopped buying any new stuff unless it’s actually necessary!

I feel I’m doing my bit as best I can - but I bloody love travel and therefore don’t think it be giving up my 2 long hauls a year - I also live in uk but am from Ireland - I travel back quite a bit and therefore am a regular flyer - but taking the rail sail home every time just won’t work if it’s no say for a weekend as it takes 8 plus hours unfortunately!

I do struggle with this as I really am trying to be better at stopping my carbon footprint