Sep 17 2008
CheapTickets.nl has attached an energy label to all the flights in its booking system. This new tool now allows passengers to make an environmentally conscious choice when they book their flights. The energy label shows the flight distance and the number of stops.
Customers who book an A-label flight can be sure they chose a more environmentally friendly route. CheapTickets.nl is the first ticket provider in the world to help airplane passengers choose their flights more consciously, departing from all the airports in the world. Based in Oosterhout (Netherlands), CheapTickets.nl has offices in the Netherlands, Germany and Curacao.
CheapTickets.nl director Ton Berends: "Our new energy label (eco value) ensures that flight routes and airlines can be compared - not just prices, but also an indication of their environmental impact. For the time being, the energy label provides insight into the flight distance and the stops. The fewer stops you make along the way, the better it is for the environment."
Berends hopes that the new energy label will facilitate participation in the worldwide discussion on environmentally conscious flight habits. "We want to encourage consumers and businesspeople to make independent choices that contribute to a better environment. I can imagine that companies may start encouraging their business travellers to choose A-label or B-label flights."
CheapTickets.nl makes no claims of offering a 100% watertight system. As Berends states, "There are many more factors involved. The next step will be to include the type of aircraft in the comparison, because some aircraft fly cleaner than others. We are working with the University of Twente to continue developing the energy label."