carbon offset programs struggle

Carbon offset programs struggle
Steve Creedy | January 24, 2008

THE majority of Australian airline passengers have failed to embrace carbon offset programs, but airline officials remain optimistic they will take up the cause.

Figures released yesterday by low-cost carrier Jetstar show that just one in eight of its passengers is taking advantage of its program, which allows passengers to pay a small extra fee to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.

The airline claimed its program was the most successful in the world, suggesting take-up at other airlines may be even worse.

But there are encouraging signs that those figures will improve as people become more aware of greenhouse issues.

Jetstar said the response was better on flights to destinations where environmental issues had a higher profile.

It singled out routes between Sydney and Melbourne and trendy Ballina-Byron Bay in northern NSW as the best performers, with more than 19 per cent of passengers on these services opting for a carbon offset.

Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway said: "Certainly the green parties go very well in those parts of the world and what we're finding is those pockets of Australia that are ... more environmentally attuned demonstrate a further uptake in terms of the flights."

Jetstar introduced its carbon offset program in September and offers a simple tiered structure that allows passengers to pay to offset their carbon emissions when they book.

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