The latest survey carried out on behalf of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) makes grim reading for anyone concerned about the impact of flying on the environment and dispels the myth that younger people are more concerned about it.
Main points
The survey shows that more people than ever are flying with figures above the pre-pandemic levels. 62% of UK adults say that they have taken at least one trip by air in the last 12 months.
Younger people are morel likely to intend to fly in the future. There is a clear relationship between age and the likelihood of expecting to fly more in the next 12 months. Younger adults (those aged 18-34) are nearly twice as likely as those aged 55 and over to anticipate an increase in their air travel compared to the previous 12-month period.
Reducing the cost of flying was the most favoured option amongst respondents. When asked to choose between six focus areas for the industry, consumers prioritise reducing the cost of flying in higher numbers than any other area.
Passengers do not see alleviating the impact of aviation on the environment as their responsibility. A third thought alleviating the impact should be paid for by government (other taxpayers!), with younger passengers more in favour of government paying for offsetting measures than older passengers.
Conclusion
Aviation is a significant cause of greenhouse gas emissions and therefore climate breakdown, yet this seems to eluded flyers particularly younger ones. It should be pointed out that you cannot offset emissions this is pure greenwash.
Until governments start to be realistic about dramatically reducing aviation, many consumers will carry on as usual. Not a good indication for the future!
Notes from the survey
Consumers are flying in the highest numbers since this survey began in 2016.
This year’s results reinforce the shift in the demographic profile of recent flyers observed last year, with recent flyers skewing much younger than pre-pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, far fewer people took trips by air, with just 17%of the public surveyed in October 2021 saying that they had flown from a UK airport over the previous 12 months. Since then, our research has recorded a steady recovery in flight numbers–with this figure tripling to reach 54% in October 2023. This represented a return to pre-pandemic flight levels.
This year, the proportion of consumers having flown in the last 12-month period continues to rise, surpassing even pre-pandemic levels:62% of UK adults say that they have taken at least one trip by air in the last 12 months, the highest figure on record.
As well as more consumers flying, this year also sees an all-time high in the number of flights that recent travellers have taken, with those who have flown in the last year having taken an average of 3.2round trips by air.
There is a clear relationship between age and the likelihood of expecting to fly more in the next 12 months. Younger adults (those aged 18-34) are nearly twice as likely as those aged 55 and over to anticipate an increase in their air travel compared to the previous 12-month period.
[18-34 = 40%; 35-54 = 30%; 55plus =23%]
When asked to choose between six focus areas for the industry, consumers prioritise reducing the cost of flying in higher numbers than any other area.
Reducing the environmental impact of flying follows closely as the next most frequently cited number-one priority (22%),although it does not rank as highly when looking at consumers' top-three priorities. Notably, this is the most widespread number-one priority amongst consumers aged 55 and over, with over a quarter saying as much (26%).
When it comes to environmental sustainability in the context of aviation, consumers are split between those who think it is something that can be achieved through changes in the industry, and those who regard the industry as fundamentally at odds with sustainability.
Many discuss sustainability in quite general terms, citing the need to produce fewer carbon emissions and reduce the carbon footprint. Some consumers are more specific, saying that – in the context of aviation – they understand sustainability as meaning measures such as developing more sustainable fuels or having airports themselves take environmentally-friendly measures.
A small proportion of consumers responded to the question by saying that aviation, fundamentally, is at odds with sustainability. These consumers say that a reduction in the number of flights, or the discontinuation of flying altogether, is the only true way to promote sustainability in aviation.
Passengers do not see alleviating the impact of aviation on the environment as their responsibility
Over one third of consumers think airlines should cover the cost of measures to reduce the environmental impact of flying (35%).Consumers aged 55 and over are significantly more likely to think that environmental cost should be included in the ticket price (34%) compared to those aged 18-34 (14%) and those aged 35-54 (19%).Younger passengers, on the other hand, are significantly more likely to think that the government should cover environmental offsetting measures, with four times as many consumers aged 18-34 of the view that the government should pay than those aged 55+ (28% and 6% respectively).
Source
Flying in 2024 and beyond, (17 February 2025), Research findings from Wave 13of the CAA’s UK Aviation Consumer Survey, Report by Savanta.
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