To be fed up of rich people/celebs and private jets

[LivesinLondon2000]

Just read this morning that Harry & Meghan arrived in the UK on the Queen’s private jet. Why can’t they travel on a normal scheduled flight? It’s not like they’d have been wedged into economy class with a toddler on their laps like the rest of us anyway!

I’m just fed up of reading about the rich & famous gallivanting around the planet in their jets (the Beckhams are another example) when the rest of us are made to feel guilty about climate change and our carbon footprint by taking any flights at all - even when it’s one short haul EasyJet/Ryanair return flight a year and we’re packed into economy like sardines. Why one rule for them and another for us?

shinynewapple22 The amount of delivery traffic has gone up - just see all the Uber eats and Deliveroo drivers around and you'll know that its increased demand and generated a market. It is a big issue for the government when looking at the supply chain in this country - if we are going to hit Net Zero targets there are going to have to be significantly fewer deliveries - of everything.

It's much safer for the general public not to be on the same plane as the Royal Family, who are a big security risk. If someone targets a commercial flight with them on it, many people die. The issue is that senior royals don't usually live on the other side of the world, do wouldn't be flying back and forth having the best of both worlds. Now that, I do have a problem with.

No they're not the only people to do it, but most others who use private jets don't go whingeing and attention seeking about climate change and reducing polluting air travel, do they? I can't recall any interviews from Lewis Hamilton whingeing about climate change linked to air travel! Like I say, it's the hypcracy!

@FlyingPandas
I would very happily support a law that banned anyone from talking about climate change concerns if they’ve ever even once benefited from private air travel.
Yes me too 😂

But it sounds like a lot of people on here don’t see what’s wrong with private jets. I seem to regularly hear - from various sources - friends/media etc - that taking flights is one of the worst things you can do for the environment. Indeed I have many friends who never fly and only ever travel in the UK/parts of Europe you can get to by train/boat.
And others who only fly if absolutely necessary - to visit family etc. Some go to quite great lengths to avoid flying in fact citing environmental concerns.
I confess I still do fly for holidays but I feel guilty about it.

But reading these posts I wonder now if it is in fact true that flying is as bad as I’ve been led to believe as certainly the majority here don’t seem to feel guilty about flying or to feel that using private jets is wrong? The attitude seems to be if you are rich and can afford it well why not?

Is it just me being super sensitive to criticism about flying then? Or generally do people know that flying is bad and just don’t care?

I confess I still do fly for holidays but I feel guilty about it. OK so you do fly then, so stop with your preaching attitude. You came on to make a thread about something that you do as well, maybe not a private jet but the same.

@BattenburgDonkey
No really my problem isn’t Harry & Meghan I promise you 😂

Yep, it's something that will have to be tackled if we are serious about reducing traffic congestion, traffic pollution, road safety, etc. Especially the stuff that really doesn't need to be delivered, like a pack of batteries from Amazon (that could be bought from a supermarket or convenience store), or a pizza or McDonalds just because someone is too lazy to cook their own meal or walk for a few minutes and get it themselves. I'm not quite so bothered about full supermarket deliveries, as they're usually multiple drops in close proximity. But constant too-ing and fro-ing of usually a clapped out polluting old Nissan Micras from Mc Donalds or Dominoes to houses a few streets away really isn't acceptable. It started to spiral due to the lockdowns etc, which is fair enough as a temporary measure, (especially as people weren't allowed in premises), but now something needs to be done to reduce it and the environmental damage it causes.

This

Not really, you've oversimplified.

I do what I want, and am also conscious. I make my own decisions. I don't actually fly at all.

My point was not "just do what you want" it was "do not be directed on how to live your life by liars, but by a conscious decision-making process that takes in information from various sources"

Why do you think these people act like there is no climate emergency and no covid?

Why would they though? It's profitable, they make money from our gullibility. Taxes they benefit from, fear they exploit.

I think personal responsibility is the issue. If you're guilted into doing something to solve a problem that the people telling you exists don't seem to perceive, that's on you.

Haven’t they set up a travel company?

@Mally100
Sorry didn’t mean to sound preachy. Just wanted to be honest.
But there’s a big difference between my short haul flight to Europe on EasyJet (usually) and a private jet in terms of carbon footprint.

There is a big difference but you are still contributing to the problem. Unless you never, ever fly and walk everywhere then it just hypocrisy.

@CathyorClaire
Wagging a petulant finger at the peasants for their annual two weeks in Benidorm while hopping on a private jet every few weeks doesn't sit well

Yes this is exactly what bothers me!! I am a disgruntled peasant 😂

This reminds me of the story some Russians DH knew used to tell in the days when they were behind the Iron Curtain.

Local Communist rally. Enthusiastic speaker, cheered on by the huge crowd:
"Comrades, some people have two houses, while some have none. Take one of the houses off the person with two and give it to someone who has none. No one needs two houses."
Rapturous cheers from the crowd "No one needs two houses!"
Speaker: "Comrades, some people have two cars. Take one off each of them and give it to someone with no car. No one needs two cars."
Rapturous cheers from the crowd "No one needs two cars!"
Speaker: "Comrades, some people have two chickens. Take one off each of them and give it so someone with no chicken. No one needs two chickens!"
Crowd falls silent and all stare at their feet. (A couple of chickens at home being the probable difference between surviving the winter and not.)

As PP say, your 'necessary' two chickens look like two houses to someone else.

@Mally100
100% agree that I am also contributing to the problem. But I’m not rich or famous and unlikely to influence many people by my actions.
I would like to see more people in the public eye set a better example though. At least then it might feel a bit more like we’re in this together and we all need to do our part to reduce carbon footprint. Otherwise it does feel a bit ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ as other posters have already said.

As PP say, your 'necessary' two chickens look like two houses to someone else

Quite. Op, your short haul economy flights make you no better than those private flying people. You are still part of the problem and hypocritical.

This is why I'm in favour of some kind of carbon allowance. Everyone should get to prioritise what's important to them, while being conscious of their overall impact on the world.

Private jet usage would become untenable pretty quickly.

Op, your short haul economy flights make you no better than those private flying people

Thats not true or fair. It's a question of degrees.

I’m 50 and I’ve only flown four times in my life, because it makes me so sick. I will probably never take another flight in my life. So they can have my share if it ensures the safety of their family and all the people who’d be in danger through sharing a commercial flight with them.

You can’t change what other people do, only what you do. So concentrate on yourself and your family, don’t fly if you think it’s wrong, and then know you’ve done what you can to help. Sniping away at two people you don’t know on an anonymous forum isn’t going to stop people you dislike doing things you’d like to be morally outraged about, because they aren’t going to see it. If you want to actually influence people, start by pledging never to fly again, and join a campaigning group.

But I have a feeling that’s not actually your issue, so maybe you won’t do that.

Stop press!!!

Rich people can do things poor people can't.

No shit, Sherlock.

If they are preaching otherwise then yes, I have an issue with it (and those two sure do preach). If it is a wealthy person who happily owns their behaviour then I am more lenient.

@TaranThePigKeeper
A couple of friends of mine are part of campaigning groups. Interestingly, they are constantly accused of being preachy and one of the main things people say to them is ‘why should I bother stopping my annual flight when celebrity x, y or z (insert name - doesn’t have to be H&M!) travels by private jet everywhere?’

I hate celebrity culture with a passion. How we can claim to be democratic or meritocratic with these circuses going on I have no idea. They provide useful distractions for our leaders though, as inequality goes sky high.

Anyway, I think that it is nice that the Royals have given them another chance (despite their attempt to cause ) damage and this is one of the gestures where they are trying to be caring and supportive. Unfortunately, I don't think it will last as there is the menacing threat of a hidden camera recording private moments, nobody has eaten humble pie, there is another hagiography in the pipeline and it is harder to genuinely reform middle aged people who are still butthurt about their own foolish decisions and their consequences.