New research has found that aviation’s carbon pollution could be cut by over a fifth if a frequent flyer tax were imposed on European passengers who take more than one return flight per year.
As well as cutting emissions by denormalising frequent flying, the so-called “jet-setter” tax, or “Frequent Flying Levy” (FFL) could slow global warming and raise €64bn annually. Those funds could be ploughed back into a green mobility transition, the report from green campaign group Stay Grounded and the New Economics Foundation suggests. And the best part? These benefits would cost nothing for most people, while hitting the most egregious flyers where it hurts.
A frequent flier levy is a great way to get air travel emissions down, raise funds for a Just Transition and ensure people who fly infrequently can still have a holiday. https://t.co/jkbJlFvOm7
— urs_balderson (@BaldersonUrs) October 18, 2024
1% of flyers produce half of aviation emissions
The report points out that “1% of the world population produces 50% of aviation emissions, while 80% have never set foot on an aeroplane” and that in Western Europe, “80% of the highest-income households fly at least once a year”. In comparison, just 30% do so from the lowest-income households. Based on economic modelling by CE Delft and a legal assessment by AdaStone Law, the report estimates that 72% of Europe’s flyers would therefore be unaffected by the levy, while fees applied to just the top 5% of frequent flyers would rake in 50% of the anticipated revenues.
When it comes to who DOESN’T fly, the picture flips.
— Stay Grounded Network (@StayGroundedNet) October 17, 2024
The less money you have, the more likely you are to not fly at all in a given year. pic.twitter.com/iAIjo5az02
“Right now, it doesn’t matter whether you’re flying to visit your family for the first time in years or taking a 10th annual flight to your luxury house on the coast – you’ll be paying the same tax for that flight,” Stay Grounded notes on its website. The proposed levy would change that, with the tax on choosing to travel by plane increasing with every flight taken. However, different arrangements would probably have to apply to business or work-related flights, Stay Grounded acknowledges.
How would it work?
Under the FFL model, everyone would have an allocation of one “levy-free” return flight per year. The tax would kick in on the second return at €50 per flight, increasing to €100, €200, and €500 for additional flights, with higher rates for long-haul and business class flights, where the bigger seating areas mean a higher carbon footprint per passenger.
Less flights by the rich means less pollution for all of us. pic.twitter.com/mUCqIAfFoM
— Stay Grounded Network (@StayGroundedNet) October 17, 2024
Meanwhile private jet flights, which are at least ten times more polluting per passenger than a scheduled flight and are, Stay Grounded says, “the pinnacle of climate injustice”, would see “a significantly higher FFL”, pending, ideally, a ban, though private jets were not included in CE Delft’s modelling.
By introducing the levy, a 25% reduction in passenger flights could be achieved by 2028, bringing down aviation CO2 emissions by 20%, and raising billions in funding, Stay Grounded says. But, as well as question marks about the definition of a “return” flight and potential loopholes for circuitous routing, how passenger data would be protected while their flying is tracked is yet to be worked out.
