Sounding Off: A step in the right direction for climate awareness

Sally Davey, Travalyst

“We know that one of the barriers to consumers making better choices is a lack of visibility and overly complicated information, leading to confusion. By delivering clear and consistent tools for collecting and reporting airline data, we are helping travelers and the industry to make more informed - and lower emitting - air travel choices.”

Quote from Sally Davey, CEO of Travalyst, in an article on PhocusWire this week announcing the coalition’s new aviation sustainability framework to collect and display flight emission data.

Each Friday, PhocusWire dissects and debates an industry trend or new development covered by PhocusWire that week .

With Earth Day coming up in one week, the topic of sustainability is in the spotlight.

And the news indicates signs of progress.

Recent consumer surveys from McKinsey and Booking.com reveal consumers are becoming more aware – and concerned – about the impact of their travel on the environment.

But there is also much work to be done, particularly around compiling and presenting travel-related climate impact information in a clear, meaningful way.

For example, Booking.com’s survey found 56% of respondents say they don’t actively search for a property’s sustainability information before they book, but they would consider it if it was easily accessible.

This type of sentiment is why it's worth applauding this week’s announcement from Travalyst that its coalition of six brands have created a set of shared principles and preferred methodology for estimating carbon emissions from air travel.

Skyscanner and Google will be the first coalition partners to implement the framework across their platforms, with additional travel distribution partners Booking.com, Trip.com Group and Tripadvisor planning to implement it in the coming months.

By providing environmental impact data in a standardized, consistent way, travel brands make it easier for consumers to make purchase decisions that align with their values.

It's a safe bet to look forward to news of similar frameworks for other sectors of travel – with hotels likely coming next, based on Google’s statement when it joined Travalyst in September that it would contribute to the development of standards for both airlines and hotels.

But of course, a framework is just one step along the path to building a more climate-friendly, sustainable travel industry. It will also take action from brands – such as those partnered with Travalyst and many, many others – to prominently and transparently display this type of environmental impact data in their shopping and booking flows.

And then there is what may be the biggest unanswered – or unanswerable at this time – question: When presented with information about the environmental impact of various travel options, how much will that data weigh in a traveler’s booking decisions versus factors such as price and convenience? Stay tuned.