Skift Take
It may have started as a fringe movement in Sweden, but flight shaming is coming to the U.S. JetBlue plans to head it off at the pass by investing in offsetting programs and biofuels. But its real green deal may be in its new aircraft.
JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes thinks the flight-shaming movement gaining momentum in Europe could spread to the U.S. The airline’s renewed push toward sustainability is in part informed by staving it off.
“This issue presents a clear and present danger if we don’t get on top of it,” Hayes said on Thursday during JetBlue’s fourth-quarter and full-year earnings call. “We’ve seen that in other geographies, and we should not assume those sentiments won’t come to the U.S…so it’s very important for airlines get on the front foot of this.”
[caption id="attachment_147900" align="alignright" width="300"] JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes[/caption]
The flight shaming movement began in earnest in Scandinavia last year and was further highlighted when teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg sailed across the Atlantic to bring attention to the issue. Activists believe that more travelers should opt for alternative forms of transportation to air travel in order to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft.
Although not yet as strong in the U.S., the movement has begun to bite in Europe, and airlines have responded with a massive public-relations push to showcase their climat
