Flight Mileage Restrictions

We have reached the point with climate change that we can no longer pretend that the world is not going to be dramatically affected. There is no question that there will be disruption on an unprecedented scale for humanity. But we do still have some choice - carry on as we are as a species until it is physically impossible to do so, or suffer some disruption now in the hope of reduced disruption later.

And this is a choice we are making not just for humans alive today, but for all other species and ecosystems, as well as for future generations.

As well as action against mass polluters, which we propose elsewhere, we need to curb some of our least environmentally friendly habits, and air travel is an obvious place to start.

Many of the trillions of miles flown each year are now a luxury we cannot afford as a species, and often there are alternative, less polluting ways to manage without flying: trains, boats, conference calls, staycations.

Simply advising people to travel less by air isn't working, so we need to start limiting it by government intervention.

Overview of our Proposal

Current Situation

Air travel is already back above pre-Covid levels, with around 5 trillion passenger miles flown globally each year, both domestically and internationally.

In 2018 (latest figures I could find), around 220 billion miles of international travel were flown out of UK airports.

Air travel is a particularly polluting form of transport as emissions are dispersed in the upper atmosphere, where they have a magnified impact. It is also economically beneficial to keep planes in the air even if the cabins and/or cargo holds are not full, encouraging less efficient fuel to passenger or cargo mile ratios.

Alternatives

More cargo and passengers could travel by sea or rail (although cruise ships are also environmentally troublesome).

Business flights could be dramatically reduced through use of conference and video calls, something that was heavily utilised in 2020 & 2021 through the Covid pandemic.

Long-haul holidays should be once again regarded as a luxury, rather than an expectation as it is now for many on even middling incomes.

Short-haul weekend breaks could be replaced with UK staycations, or restricted to rail and car journeys.

Restrictions

We would limit the number of miles that an individual can fly for personal reasons in any calendar year. This would include miles travelled nationally and internationally, and in charter, scheduled and private flights. For example we might propose a mileage allowance of 25,000 a year per person, which is sufficient to travel to New Zealand and back.

We would also limit the total number of flight miles that a company can have their employees travel in any calendar year. This would be separate from individuals' personal limits. The limit for each company would be linked to the number of employees and nature of business.

Travel outside of these limits would only be allowed under specific circumstances (e.g. a flight linked to a family bereavement would not be counted towards the limit).

We would also consider the impact of allowing unutilised personal flight miles to rollover into the following year, although transfers or sale of allowances between individuals and between companies would not be allowed.

Impact

We believe that this approach, while unpopular with airlines and a vocal minority, will send a strong signal that business as usual cannot continue, as well as having a significant impact on the number of miles flown, the related air and noise pollution.

Increased use of other forms of transport should drive investment and innovation in these areas, making them faster and more efficient.

Since the personal travel limits will be set at a reasonable level for the average family but will apply to all, the impact of this will be felt by those who travel the most. For current modest travellers there will be no impact at all, other than a likely reduction in flight carriers and times.

This pioneering policy would hopefully also lead other countries to adopt similar models.