UPDATED: 10/10/22
The Flight Free campaign raises awareness about how flying in an airplane is the most polluting activity we commonly do. We were momentarily thrilled in 2021 to see that Google Flights started listing passenger emissions with sorting options that allow users to compare carbon emissions when booking their trips- that is until 2022 when the calculation methodology changed, due to industry pressure. At the start, Google Flights included non C02 warming impacts, which contribute 2-3 times the warming effects of C02 alone. Unfortunately, these warming effects are no longer included in the calculations and flights now appear to have much less warming impact than before. See this article, “Google 'airbrushes' out emissions from flying, BBC reveals” to learn more.
Thank you to NPR for featuring Flight Free in the 10/06/21 article about Google Flight Searches, stating that some people are now shunning air travel all together, not just shopping for less polluting flights.
“Amid growing concerns about climate change and ever-worsening natural disasters, some travelers have begun taking matters into their own hands. Groups like Flight Free are comprised of people who have committed not to use air travel, both as a means of reducing carbon emissions and as a way of sending a message to those in power that climate change is a priority.”
It remains to be seen if consumers will understand the scale of the emission numbers presented in Google Flight searches. This context is something we strive to show in our emissions calculator where we compare flight emissions to other lifestyle choices and per capita carbon emissions world wide.