United Touts Environmental Impact From Eco-Friendly Flights

United is making another push toward environmentally friendly flying. On June 5, the carrier operated its "flight for the planet" between Chicago and Los Angeles to showcase the airline's forward-thinking efforts. By the end of that week, the airline had crunched the numbers on how the trip differed from a typical day in the skies. In terms of consumption, the flight between Chicago and LAX saved an additional 3.3 percent of fuel over a typical flight, thanks to conservative engine use during taxi and a gradual descent into the Los Angeles basin. The airline also offset 40 metric tons of carbon dioxide to make up for the aircraft's fuel consumption, which was augmented with 30 percent biofuel for this particular flight. Waste reduction and elimination was also a big initiative on the flight, which was ostensibly operated as commercial service — most passengers on board didn't know a