Green Fares: Lufthansa is expanding climate tickets to almost all flights

Lufthansa is expanding its ticket offering for more sustainable flying. From December 4th, the so-called “Green Fares” can be booked on almost all of the group’s flights, as the company announced in Frankfurt. Directly in the booking process, passengers can choose the new fares for 850,000 flights at a higher price than conventional tickets. In the test run so far on selected routes, around 4 percent of guests have used these or other options to alleviate the climate impact of their flight.

According to the information, the tariffs include compensation for the CO2 emissions generated during the flight. A smaller proportion, between 10 and 20 percent, is achieved with sustainable biofuel (SAF), which actually has a lower carbon footprint than conventional kerosene and can be easily refueled. The remaining CO2 pollution should be offset through climate projects. The “Green Fares” can be booked on all airline flights with the exception of Eurowings, which has its own program.

Critics argue that compensation cannot undo CO2 emissions. In addition, flights are responsible for further climate impacts in addition to pure kerosene consumption.

According to a study by the environmental organization “Atmosfair”, global passenger air traffic has so far clearly missed its climate targets. German airlines have also barely succeeded in reducing kerosene consumption and thus alleviating CO2 emissions and other environmental damage.