If I were a 0.1 percenter and I could afford a private jet, I'd be happy to fly. But I hate flying commercial these days. I could get by OK without flying ever again. Nothing about saving the planet, I just can't stand the whole process of flying with the airlines.

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"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

Bunker fuel

Any kind of mass travel of the scale that we do as a global population, using the energy substrates we use (oil/gas), is going to be a reasonably dirty business.


Shifting all the air travel to ships, would just shift that carbon out-out to the shipping business.


I travel a moderate amount. Mostly for work. About 7 - 10 flights in North America a year.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

so he's a selfish narcissistic pilot. ;-)
was he a pilot when you got married?

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ΜΟΛΩΝ-ΛΑΒΕ
we're doomed

If I never flew again I'd be more than happy. I hate the flying experience. Not flying itself, but dealing with the lines, TSA constantly changing the rules, sitting next to some guy who's coughing up a lung, etc. No doubt flying is far more convenient, I'd prefer to drive and stop to see the World's Biggest Ball of Twine.

Plus, I live in Colorado, why would I want to leave?

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

I'm sure most of you know this already, but flying is much more fuel efficient than driving. For example, a 747 gets about 96 seat miles / gallon (https://en.wikipedia.org/...nsportation#Aircraft)

For your typical sedan, you would have to have 4 people stuffed in there to get an equivalent efficiency.

I couldn't find the source of your 5-10% figure from the David Suzuki foundation, but for this to be accurate they would have to remove the driving emissions that are saved by people flying. I understand that most flights are on the margin (i.e. most people wouldn't take the trip if the planes were not available) but if you think that you're saving the environment by driving from NYC to Boston instead of taking the short hop, you're mistaken.

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Strava

There is an issue/variable of how many empty seats are on the plane though, just like in a car. Those short hops on commuter flights are sometimes pretty sparely populated. Furthermore, there is some evidence that the effect of flight emissions per gallon of fuel is greater than driving emissions per gallon, due to emissions of things other than CO2 and due to the fact that emissions are taking place higher in the atmosphere. https://fivethirtyeight.com/...-theres-no-easy-fix/

Fair enough.

I'm surprised there isn't more talk of technology that is already helping reduce flight miles for business. For example, my company has cut international travel (and costs) significantly by installing high-def video conferencing systems that are almost as good as meeting in person.

Meanwhile, an entire industry would almost disappear (management consulting) if planes were eliminated. Not offering an opinion on that :) but just noting one affect on the modern economy. It would be almost impossible to go backwards; solutions need to come in some other form

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Strava

For the last 20+ years I have worked Fly In / Fly Out (FIFO) on remote mine sites in Western Australia. Every week I do a 1200 km plane ride. There are an estimated 100,000 FIFO workers in Australia.

If there was no plane travel I would have to live in an extremely remote area.

Well, other than Dickzuki is the 2nd biggest elitist hypocrite on planet earth behind Al Gore that expects us to do what he refuses to do himself. I'd paddle to my most favorite secret tropical island and say fuck it, let the planet die. Oddly, I'll guarantee you Leonardio d'Caprio, Suzuki & Gore will see no problem with flying while expecting us little minions to walk...

Very much true, but...If I would sail home it would be from Vancouver South to Panama, then East, East, East to Croatia. A bit long for a family visit. Or train across Canada, ship to West Europe and another train...forget it. I'll rather fly 14 hrs or so, Suzuki can go and jump in the lake

Ad Muncher

It's always fun when you hit executive platinum in Q1. I had 3 RTs to the ME (13-14hr each way), 2 RTs to the U.K. (5-6hrs) and one to the left coast since the calendar turn...

Quick math last year, 10 RTs to ME, 2 to U.K. and 2 to west coast. Plus one personal trip to San Diego to visit my brother.

If not for work, I could give it all up, but alternatives to face-to-face are not practical for our business...

gotta ask, what do you do?
i do not envy you...at...all.

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ΜΟΛΩΝ-ΛΑΒΕ
we're doomed

I've gotten accustomed to the trips, so it's not terrible. But it is certainly not the vacation that many associate with "work travel".

There are a lot of businesses and industries that do not have outward network connectivity (especially video). And even when, or if, they do, verbal communication, with language and cultural barriers, is very sketchy. I would never take direction from customers in the ME unless it was part of a face to face discussion.

Domestically prior to air travel, travel by rail was done extensively. International travel was done by ship. The railway system in the US would need vast improvements in order to go back to high volumes of passenger travel. Not too sure it would be utilized as rail travel currently is no faster than autos. If high speed rail were available it could supplant air. Whether that helps climate change isn't known by me.

Personally we only fly once every few years or so. Been to Hawaii a few times and a few places in Mexico. Those trips wouldn't have been possible without air travel due to limited vacation time. If we didn't have air travel we would have gone somewhere that fit within the time constraints.

I don't buy into this guys conclusions as many people will still travel and have an impact while doing so.

The world is not going back to the Middle Ages. The way forward is to develop cleaner methods of travel.

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Don

Tri-ing to have fun. Anything else is just a bonus!

Even if you do take it face to face - rarely do they mean what they say, and even when they do, it does not preclude them from changing their minds and not telling you..........

Most of our travel for the last year - and this coming one has been burning through miles as we are leaving. prior to that, most of my travel was economy because I was always permitted to encash business class flights for cash and book my own travel.............

still, even in economy we hit top tiers with two airlines and mid-tier with a third. The flying is absolutely fine solo - I could do it every week I think, its when there are 4 of us, two under three and doing it every 3-4 weeks that it is exhausting.

Agreed, just got back from a trip with the family to Puerto Rico, the kids have just reached the age, 5/7/9, that travel is not debilitating.

The face-to-face facilitates writtten notes that are signed ;)

I've grown fond of Qatar air FWIW. Way better than Emirates, which is way better than BA, which is way better than any US carrier (most of which have abandoned ME routes)...

My ME travel is business class. If it were cattle class, I would not go. And I wouldn't take the cash and fly economy. If I were coming from Europe, I probably would. But from the US, no freaking way. Without 8 solid hours of sleep on the flight, I would be a wreck...it's really the razor edge of being able to hold it together!

Its interesting - first world problems - emirates crushes qatar in economy. Qatar BC is good but I don't get to do it very often.

I've done; Doha - Melbourne - Sydney - Perth - Doha, traded business for cash and Doha - London - Frankfurt - London - Toronto - London - Doha - that opportunity no longer avails its self but on my own, its no big deal offset against a check

I used miles on the first one for the longest legs to upgrade and on the second one I was bumped anyway

what do you do? I can tell you signing something almost certainly means nothing here :)

case in point - current projects are at 300% in variations against original contract value and no variations have been paid - anywhere else the contractor would stop working, not here, holding out hoping they'll pay.........

I think all of our lives would change in dramatic ways.
I live in Seattle and Boeing is rolling out a 737 a day right now
Nobody flying would have a huge impact on the economy
Here are some interesting stats
http://www.atag.org/facts-and-figures.html