Airlines: March 2008 Archives

After I posted below about SAS' large number of Boeing MD-80s being something of an embarrassment to its green credentials, I noticed this lengthy discussion in the Dallas Morning News about American Airlines' similar dilemma. Our ACAS database shows that American has 300 of the type on its books. It's not thrilled about their fuel-burn, but it's not thrilled about replacing them with anything before the next-generation narrowbody from Boeing and Airbus comes along. I'm afraid this sort of thing is a very real obstacle to airlines making the kind of medium-term change that really would cut their emissions.

I have a degree of respect for SAS' environmental activity - they've been working at most of the issues for longer and more seriously than just about any other carrier. And they've been putting their money where their mouth is.