Americans’ penchant for flying outpacing efficiency gains
Reproduced from The International Council on Clean Transportation report; Chart: Axios Visuals
U.S.-based airlines are getting more fuel-efficient, but Americans are traveling more and erasing potential gains, according to a study out Thursday.
By the numbers: Fuel efficiency of airplanes has increased by 3% between 2016 and 2018, but the miles passengers have traveled increased 10%. Thus, fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions rose by 7%, according to the report by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), a nonprofit environmental group.
Why it matters: Jet-fueled, commercial airplanes account for just 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions, but ICCT says it is set to triple by 2050 as we — and everything we buy and sell — fly more around the world.
What’s new: Budget airline Frontier took the top spot for the second year in a row as the most fuel-efficient U.S. airline. Two other airlines that are considered similarly affordable — Spirit and Southwest — came in tied for second.
Those flights are less expensive for the same reason they don't provide a particularly comfortable flying experience: They squeeze a lot of passengers onto their planes, which increases the efficiency.
One level deeper: The chart above shows the relative efficiency of each airline. For context, the least efficient airline (JetBlue) burns 26% more fuel than Frontier.
Those are averages, which may mask some of the bigger differences between the airlines, according to ICCT aviation and marine director Dan Rutherford. Fuel efficiency varies widely — 20% to 85% difference in carbon intensity — on specific routes depending on several factors, including layovers and aircraft flown.
