EasyJet Calls for Aircraft Age Restriction
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 06.19.07
Low-cost airline EasyJet is calling for European governments to remove approximately 700 of the “oldest, dirtiest aircraft,” by implementing an age maximum effective January 2012, according to the carrier's June inflight magazine. With the youngest major airline fleet in Europe and an average age of 2.2, EasyJet already meets these restrictions.
“Our aircraft are the most environmentally-friendly in the world,” says EasyJet chief executive Andy Harrison.
Under the proposed policy, aircraft must be 22 years old or younger.
The initiative brings up the much debated argument, can flying ever be green? Keith Taylor, Britain’s Green Party Principal Speaker scoffs at EasyJet’s environmental claims:
"To say Easyjet are less worse than other airlines is no reason to champion them. All airlines are part of the carbon problem, and by continuing to promote aviation expansion the government is letting the country down and undermining attempts to reduce carbon emissions. 70% of EU flights are under 1000km and with trains capable of traveling at 300kph plus now is the time to expand a fast rail network. Trains are 19 times more carbon efficient than planes.”
EasyJet’s call for action comes simultaneously with the announcement of its 100th airbus, news which probably won’t be celebrated by those lobbying against budget airlines. Recently, budget airline sales have suffered from concerns about the environment.
EasyJet has also recently released a proposal for an "EcoJet" that could slash CO2 emissions by a hefty 50 percent.
On its website, EasyJet has a section dedicated to its environmental policies. The carrier's guiding principal, according to the site, is EasyJet efficiency = low fares = low emissions.
For more information on budget air travel visit ::Building Green Airplanes and ::Virgin or EasyJet? via: oneworld.net
Image courtesy of 2747.com
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Airframes last a very long time. Look at the B-52, still in service after 50 years, and not in light-duty service, either! There are still Douglas DC-3s in active service.
It's the engines that are dirty.
Older airframes may be slightly heaver and less aerodynamic, but they've always been designed to consume minimal fuel. It's not like they're built with cast iron or something. Iinefficient airframes tend to be mothballed pretty quickly anyway.
Shortening their lifespan might effectively waste more energy, as replacements would have to be built more quickly than otherwise anticipated, increasing net pollution.
I think its pretty obvious that this is just an attempt to hit other carriers in the bottom line. They have new jets because they're a new airline so they can obviously stand to gain if everyone else's costs go up because they have to replace their jets. I doubt they'll have the same sentiment when they start having to replace their aircraft.
Agree with Rob and Mike. This is a cheap business ploy under the guise of eco-friendliness. If this kind of legislation were to be undertaken, it should limit emissions directly, not be tied to some mediating variable. How about EasyJet calling for a carbon cap per passenger mile?
The unintended consequence of this proposal would be to punish manufacturers for building high quality, longlasting airframes and/or the technology required to retrofit planes with cleaner power sources.
Bad EasyJet! We have enough disposable products in this world already.
I wanted to commend EasyJet’s attempts at being green. I agree, they should be tracking their emissions, not just forcing older jets off the skyway. It's a great way to get press by making outrageous demands like that but... you think they might want to clean up some other things in their own back yard first. Yup, they care about the environment… but at what cost to customer service?
They use baggage weight bouncers controls to keep hefty passengers suitcases from stepping foot onto their planes. So there we were, unpacking on the grubby floor at Gatwick Airport, while those waiting in line for their own bad news perused the detritus of our three weeks jetting to and fro in Europe. Our goal? Attempt to re-distribute the weight in all our bags so we’d arrive at the magic weight for our check on bags before EasyJet closed off the flight.
Now I don’t know about you, but how many of us carry a weigh scale while we are on holiday? What does EasyJet think we are going to do at this point in our travel? Pay the fine of course. What a great way to bring in additional revenue. Alienate your customers by humiliating them in front of their fellow passengers and then charge them more for the pleasure.
Now folks, this is not a great way to be the ripple. I bet you that bag weigher lady goes home each night ready to tear a strip off of someone from having to be EasyJet’s enforcer. What kind of ripple does she spread with her colleagues? Seemed they were all a little beyond irritated with all of us by the end. I wonder why they thought it would be a great idea to broadcast all that frustration right in front of us as if we weren’t really there? Airing some dirty laundry, me thinks. You get what you think about all day. That’s a big red flag to me that all is not sunny behind that green curtain
Hmmm… you know, I bet there must be a better way to be green and eliminate the hassle for your customers. At the rate the competition is growing for bargain fare airlines, I bet the next green wannabe EasyJet will find a way to do both.
People… CEOs… there is a better way to be green and customer friendly!! I bet we could all think of a few things that EasyJet could do. I’ll start brainstorming, you add…
1. EasyJet could place a weigh scale at the beginning of the line and place a curtained-off area for passengers to work out how they will deal with their luggage before they’ve just spent 1.5 hours in the queue.
2. EasyJet could set up a joint venture with a package delivery service and have a customer counter with that firm right there, beside you in the line after you’ve just gotten the bad news that it will cost you big bucks to send home your dirty laundry and that lovely bottle of Limoncello you just had to buy. Better yet, EasyJet could start their own package delivery service and charge half the rates of a competitor to get your overweight treasures home. Then they could get that extra revenue they would forgo by removing the customers’ pain.
You can add more ideas for easyjet at www.betheripple.com