Promoting flying

[MotherOfCatBoy]

I appreciate I’m probably in a minority here, but wanted to speak up anyway.

Im prompted by the TUI thread and lots of TUI ads. I think it’s wrong to continue to promote flying when lots of data indicate the climate crisis is getting rapidly worse: sea temperature anomalies, record breaking temperatures, wildfires and floods in many parts of the world. Scientists agree these extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity, exacerbated by greenhouse gases. Air travel is one of the most polluting forms of transport. Given that most of us here have children and would like to live in a stable climate in the future, how can Mumsnet HQ square our common desire for our children to have a good life, and promoting flying?

We have stopped flying. I did fly before in my life so I appreciate I have had the benefit and may come across as hypocritical. However it was the 2019 Australian wildfires that prompted a conversation at home and we decided we wouldn’t fly again - which I think is better than ignoring the problem altogether. We have looked at the data and changed our behaviour.

(Globally it’s the rich who fly - I am totally against private jets, frequent flying is wrong, I think flying for leisure is increasingly problematic and perhaps only flying to see distant family is OK)

Could Mumsnet perhaps promote flight free holiday options instead?

(Prepares to get massively criticised…)

There are numerous reports on modes of transport - they calculate ferries various different ways. To be fair I think the ones that include the car should be counted as that’s very common, but they still come out generally below planes. In virtually every study, flying is the worst mode of transport for greenhouse gas emissions, by a long way. Unlike cars, it’s probably also the easiest one to reduce or give up.

i know not everyone will agree. But having the discussion is useful and thought provoking. Society will need to change a lot and this is one aspect that needs to change. We might get battery powered planes in the future but sustainable air travel still seems a long way off. Until then, it’s not sustainable so it seems logical that it should be limited or discouraged.

When I was a child hardly anyone in my circle of friends went abroad, except for the occasional French exchange, and it was rarely (never?) on a plane. My family had 2 or 3 French holidays, but I didn't fly till I was 20. A few friends hardly went on holiday at all.

It's like many things in modern life - central heating, eating out/takeaways, 2 car families... they have all become far more affordable and far more common than they used to be, and it will be difficult to give them up.

I had to go to Glasgow a few years ago, and flew there and back from Luton. The price of a train ticket was nearly four times as much as going by air.