Brussels Airlines integrates option for carbon-neutral flying into booking process
- When booking flights, Brussels Airlines customers now receive three options for neutralizing the CO2-emissions of their flight: Using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), certified climate protection projects and a mix of both
- This option is now offered in the booking processes of all Lufthansa Group hub airlines (Austrian, Brussels Airlines, SWISS and Lufthansa
- To encourage the option, customers will be offered additional status and award miles
Within its efforts to make flying more sustainable, Brussels Airlines now offers its customers the option to neutralize the carbon emissions of their flights in the same transaction as their booking, with a single click. After flight selection, they can choose one of three options to fly CO2-neutral.
The first option is to use SAF that is currently produced from residual biogenic materials and directly reduces CO2 emissions. A second option is to support high quality carbon offset projects run by the non-profit organization myclimate. These promote measurable climate protection by not only reducing CO2 but also locally improving the quality of life and biodiversity. The third option is a combination of the first two. What is new is that these options can now be selected while booking, making it more convenient and attractive for the customer. Payment is made when buying the flight ticket, thus making CO2-neutral flying for passengers significantly easier. Furthermore, Brussels Airlines encourages these options by awarding additional status and award miles to Miles&More members.
"We want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to neutralize the CO2emissions of their flight. So far, less than one percent of online bookers used to take advantage of our long standing option to fly carbon neutral. With the integration of the options in the booking transaction directly, I am sure that we will convince significantly more of our passengers to fly CO2-neutral and hereby making a contribution to more sustainable air travel."
Peter Gerber, CEO of Brussels Airlines
Since launching the option on its website last Thursday, Brussels Airlines has seen a preliminary conversion rate of nearly 7%, above its initial target of 5%.
In the coming years, Brussels Airlines and the Lufthansa Group plan to offer customers significantly more sustainable travel options. The basis for this new service is the digital solution "Compensaid," developed in 2019 by Lufthansa Innovation Hub. Since 2019, Lufthansa Group has already been offsetting carbon emissions of its employees' business-related air travel by using myclimate carbon offset projects.
Forging ahead with a clear sustainable strategy
Brussels Airlines and the Lufthansa Group is making effective climate protection a major goal with a clearly defined path toward carbon-neutrality: compared to 2019, Lufthansa Group plans to half its net-carbon emissions by 2030, and by 2050, the Lufthansa Group plans to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. This will be done by continually optimizing flight operations, using SAF, and using innovative procedures that make flights more environmental-friendly. But first and foremost, the largest progress will be made through accelerating fleet modernization.
To that end, Brussels Airlines will welcome three brand new A320neo aircraft to its fleet in 2023, with 30% less CO2 emissions and fuel use per seat, compared to the A319 aircraft they will replace.