Brussels Airlines improves its carbon offset options for passengers

Passengers flying with Brussels Airlines can now choose how to offset carbon emissions when booking a flight, the company has announced.

Although a CO2 compensation system was already in use by the airline, it was cumbersome for customers who had to click through to another website.

Travellers are encouraged to support dedicated environmental projects with a more convenient one-click system. They receive three options for carbon neutral flying: using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), supporting certified climate protection projects via myclimate or a combination of both.

To make it more convenient to use, the option can be selected when making the booking, rather like choosing to travel with extra baggage. Payment is made when buying the flight ticket, said the press statement.

The scheme extends to everyone booking flights with Lufthansa Group airlines: Austrian, SWISS and Lufthansa, as well as Brussels Airlines. Passengers are offered additional status and award miles as an incentive to use the programme.

Brussels Airlines chief executive Peter Gerber said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to neutralise the CO2emissions of their flight. So far, less than 1% 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.”

Since launching the option on its website last Thursday, Brussels Airlines has seen a preliminary conversion rate of almost 7%, higher than its initial target of 5%, according to spokeswoman Kim Daenen.

Although carbon neutral schemes have been set up by airlines around the world, they have been the subject of debate. Business Traveller has published a guide to various programmes on offer by many of them, including the Belgian carrier.