Why is business travel important?
What is the solution?
If a flight is unavoidable, more fuel-efficient journeys must be preferred. Great reductions to carbon emissions can be achieved by reducing the class of travel, for long-haul flights in particular, as the seats take less space and are significantly lighter.
If adopted on a large scale, this measure could encourage airlines to reduce the number of premium seats in favour of economy seats, which consume less fuel and produce fewer emissions.
Prioritising economy class travel is a simple measure to implement that does not compromise the missions of aid organisations. Its impact is easily quantifiable and allows for easy evaluation, monitoring, and verification. It also has strong symbolic value, while contributing to reducing expenses and inequalities within an organisation.
Point of attention
To implement this solution, the organisation’s travel policy must be adjusted along with the travel booking tool. Flying economy becomes unconditional; flying on premium classes is approved by managers under specific conditions. Requirements relating to disability or accessibility needs should be recognised and considered as exceptions, along with information security on very rare cases.
This solution impacts the employees who benefit most from business and first classes tickets, generally organisations’ executives, leaders or senior managers. It is therefore crucial to increase awareness and involve them in the decision-making process.
Key actions
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#1 Create an economy class only rule
Update or create the organisation’s travel and expense policy and include an economy class only rule for all airline tickets.
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#2 Regulation of business and first class tickets
Make (exceptional) purchase of non-economy class tickets dependent upon approval by the managers.
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#3 Exceptions should be rare
Only allow exceptions for relevant medical or major safety reasons and detail the conditions precisely.
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#4 Quantify the gains
Quantify the gains achieved, through a carbon tracker tool for example.
To consider
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Potential co-benefits
- Reduction of transport costs
- Reduction of inequalities within the organisation
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Success conditions
- Increase awareness and involve the organisation’s leaders in the decision-making process to ensure their acceptability
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Prerequisites & specificities
- Policy alignment: Integration with HR strategies and existing organisational policies.
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Potential risks
- Psychological impact on some employees who benefit from premium class benefits
- Employees being less rested when arriving at their destination
Tools and good practices
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Atmosfair - Emissions Calculator Tool
Use this online CO2 calculator tool to calculate and compensate your flight emissions
Explore here -
ICAO – Carbon Emissions Calculator
The Innternational Civil Aviation Organization have a carbon emissions calculator tool allowing you to calculate both passenger and freight emissions.
Explore here
To go further
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Research report - Flying in 2050: What will aviation look like in a constrained world? , 2021, (FR)
This research document explains how a business class seat takes up more space than an economy class seat and describes how airlines can implement this in practice. It also describes how CO2 savings can be achieved through cabin densification and efficiency gains through the elimination of air transport services where satisfactory rail alternatives exist.
Explore here -
Flight Class and Its Impact on Your Carbon Footprint, 2023
This article discusses how the seat you choose impacts the carbon footprint of your flight.
Explore here
Professional travel
Transport
Sources
(1) FutureTracker, ‘Flight Class and Its Impact on Your Carbon Footprint’, FlightTracker, 2023, Available here, (accessed 29 July 2025).
(2) OpenCO2Net, ‘Put the amount of your emissions into perspective with easily understandable, everyday things’, OpenCo2Net, [no date], Available here, (accessed 11 August 2025).
(3) B. Graver, D. Rutherford, and S. Zheng, ‘CO2 Emissions from Commercial Aviation: 2013, 2018, and 2019’, ICCT, 2020, Available here, (accessed 23 July 2025).
Acknowledgements
Last updated 19 October 2025
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Cover photo ©Robert Penaloza/Unsplash.