I flew only a few times when necessary since 1979. I STOPPED FLYING altogether in 2010.

I'm committed to not flying during the climate emergency. Our planet is on fire...I don't need to add any fuel to it! There's so much diversity in my own neighborhood...of people...of plants...of philosophies. If you want to get outside your comfort zone, you can get there by foot! I'd rather build community where I am. I don't need to seek out experiences; I want to be an experience!

Consumers (individuals, organizations, businesses, governments) must promptly minimize their greenhouse gas emissions to bridge the gap while we work on long-term green technology and infrastructure. Less heating and less cooling (none between 13C-30C/55F-85F, https://greenbetween.home.blog). Less driving. Less flying. Less meat-eating. Less population growth (2 children max). Do it yourself. Tenaciously encourage others to do it.

If we are remembered at all by future generations it will not be for our achievements, awards, or the exotic places we visited, it will be for the answer to one question: how did we, personally, deal with climate change. I feel like the whole notion that we need to hop on a plane and travel thousands of miles has been sold to us as nothing more than a bill of goods and a costly one at that. For the past 12 years our family has been enjoying our sub-stratospheric life and discovering endless wonder just a few miles from our house. 

As a witness to the ongoing destruction of our beautiful planet, the fun of traveling to far away places that once filled my soul with delight, is replaced by sadness, guilt, and a conscience that doesn't have room for that kind of pleasure anymore.  I know the problem is systematic, but I fiercely believe that everything we do matters...every. little. thing. I want to make any kind of positive impact I can, and I consider this a small sacrifice in the face of what is happening to our beloved, precious,  Pachamama.  I hope to teach by my example and to inspire others to do the same, the way that others here have inspired me. 

Letter to the Editor, Seattle Times, Monday, December 18,
Instead of “fixing" flying as the author of “Why Flying Is Miserable: And How to Fix It” describes (Nov. 28, Travel), there’s a better way to avoid the misery of aviation. Stay home! Travelers can find alternatives to in-person meetings, such as Zoom and FaceTime calls. Rather than birding in New England, take your binoculars to the Edmonds Pier. Skip that uncomfortable flight to Mexico and order tacos here in town. You’ll keep costs down, too.
Because aviation represents a growing threat to the climate. you’ll also do the planet a favor.

I can no longer justify flying. Any pleasure I would get from traveling to a destination by air would be massively outweighed by the guilt I would feel for the amount of jet fuel being burned. Flying is a luxury not a right. The planet needs our help and this seems like the perfect way to start.

My conscience won't let me do it. I did fly this past June, when I had to be at two conferences four states away on the same day. I would sign the the top tier pledge to not fly during the climate emergency, but I think some air travel will be justified, even in a fully-sustainable economy. The lack of decent (fast) railroad service in North America makes it really difficult. It's the frivolous, optional air travel (along with lots of other expressions of rampant consumerism) that's killing our chances at 1.5 degrees.

Read about JD’s work at jdstillwater.earth

I’m a climate activist and am lucky enough to be able to take the train to visit family.

“I live in the middle of the US (fly-over country, haha) and have family in Oregon, Florida, Massachusetts, and Ireland. This fall, my wife and I are visiting my family in the continental US by car (which we've done many times before). Next year, we have to make one trip to Ireland, then I'm done with flying until the climate emergency ends or an airplane fuel that doesn't worsen the climate crisis becomes available.”

On October 30th, 2023 the Fallon Forum radio show spoke with Flight Free campaigner Dan Castrigano about climate, aviation, and the proposed Des Moines Airport expansion.

I cut down on flying two decades ago when climate science became already clear enough (and when flying also became ever less fun). With the advent of virtual meetings etc it’s become even less essential. I think I’ve flown twice in that time.

Having worked on NASA projects for decades and being sensitive about pollution, I started reducing my air travel long ago. The pandemic added more incentive to reduce air travel, and I've only been on a plane once since then, to see family.
When friends talk about their trips around the world to look at different places and things, I cringe. There's plenty to do closer to home; international travel should be a rarity, not a hobby.

In 2018, a family member and I went to Italy and The Netherlands to visit friends and family. When we returned, I asked him if he had enjoyed the trip. He told me he hadn't because of the carbon footprint. I replied that I had made an additional donation above and beyond my monthly subscription to Treesisters in order to offset the flights. He explained that until carbon was being removed from the air, no amount of offsets would suffice. I haven't flown since. Instead I explore the beautiful state that I live in, by bus. I feel disappointed that our rail and bus systems have degraded to the point where it's hard to travel efficiently to other states. But as long as I'm respecting this breathtakingly beautiful planet that honors and provides for our needs, I feel content.

I love the beauty of the earth and cannot fathom that I might be a partner in its demise. Thus, I have turned down a job that requires me to fly. It is a good decision.

I was inspired a few years ago by Greta Thunberg who said she would never fly again. I already have solar panels and an electric car. I want to do my part. I am a hiker but it is getting so hot in Arizona I haven’t hiked all year. Our lives are changing so much I feel we need to make big changes at the individual level and global level.

I generally travel by city bus while home. I was a world traveler but my last flight was in 2019 and I vow to only fly for emergencies that require it. I have taken the train from Bellingham WA to Milwaukee WI. I met a lot of interesting people. We need to improve our train system.

I'm a US citizen currently residing in China. Travel in China on today's modern China high speed trains is more convenient, comfortable, less expensive and far less troublesome than is flying. (…) Post-COVID, more ocean freight lines are now offering passenger options for long distance travel. Boats and trains are the best options environmentally.

My wife and I have always been environmentally conscious and have walked the walk long before society adopted certain important environmental behaviors. Why, I asked myself, do I embrace all these environmentally friendly activities when I still fly and pump out enormous amounts of CO2 as a result? This decision not to travel by air has given me a greater appreciation for where I live: the most beautiful area of the most beautiful state where we grow the most beautiful, tasty, and healthy food in all the world. Why would I go elsewhere and despoil our beautiful planet?

I gave up air travel in 2002 because of the very high climate pollution per passenger from air travel. The science is clear that we must cut our climate pollution by 50% or more by 2030 - that's the minimum needed - and eliminating or reducing air travel is one of the solutions we urgently need.

After many years of our former State Senator, Rob Hogg, urging us not to fly, my wife and I decided to not fly anywhere unless we absolutely had to (death, emergency). We will drive wherever we need to go, as well as looking into train and bus travel whenever feasible. We were so happy to read the article "Planes, Trains, and Decarbonization: Is a future without air travel possible?" by Dayton Martindale in the Summer 2023 issue of the Sierra magazine. It said what we had been thinking