Booking a flight

[Marvo]

I just booked a flight to the UK with KLM airlines. On top of the excess baggage charges, the premium cost flight and the extortionate airport taxes they tried to add on a 'CO2 Zero Tax'. The way it was presented I thought it was mandatory but after some investigation it appears to be voluntary. I'm glad cause I nearly changed airline.

Is this normal proceedure or are KLM on some kinda special drugs? This whole thing has me totally bemused. Either I'm way out of touch with what's going on in Europe these days or I'm getting my pants pulled down by a second rate airline.

How the hell does ripping me off for to the tune of about 10 UK pounds reduce the CO2 emissions of their 20 year old piece of kak plane?

Here's the drivel they have on their website about it;

How did we get to this amount?
The calculation goes like this: by burning 1 kg (2 lbs) of fuel, 3.157 kg (6.959 lbs) of CO2 is emitted. So we start by determining the fuel consumption for your flight. This depends on the type of aircraft, distance flown, and number of passengers. Then, we calculate the average CO2 emission per passenger over a period of 3 months. This is how we calculate the amount you will have to pay to compensate for your share.

Another question, how can burning 1 kilo of aviation fuel produce 3.157kilos of CO2? Am I missing something here?

 

[PB1]

You're right paying extra doesn't reduce emissions but they will claim to pay into some fund that plants trees somewhere to offset their CO2 emissions. And I suppose less fuel can produce more CO2 becuase it combines with oxygen in the atmosphere, weight of which isn't specified. Anyway maybe the airline should invest in greener planes!

 

[telectrix]

there's your answer then . fly air fungus. sorry, lingus.

 

[Marvo]

And I suppose less fuel can produce more CO2 becuase it combines with oxygen in the atmosphere, weight of which isn't specified.

I did a quick calc using atomic weights and two parts O to one part C and minus the H component which ends up as water and didn't come close to their figures. It's been awhile since I did any organic chemistry calculations though so my math might be flawed.

Edit I used C12H26 --> 12CO2 + 13H2O with an efficient burn.

 

[DurhamSparky]

just stay in cape town!! much easier and nicer than europe!

 

[davie spark]

If you follow the logic of the first post, they'll be charging diesel bus passengers more money than their normal fare and if they have electric buses running they should be giving the passengers some money back !

 

[Marvo]

just stay in cape town!! much easier and nicer than europe!

No choice unfortunately, it's business. In and out in 2 days...no prisoners

 

[Engineer54]

Airline fares have become a complete joke over the last 2 or 3 years. There is no logic to them whatsoever anymore. Unless the company are paying for a flight, i refuse to use the traditional airlines anymore, rip-off merchants one and all. Even the so called budget airlines are only budget when it suits them to be.

Work this one out, .... A relative wants to spend last two weeks of Nov and first two weeks of Dec in Cyprus, staying at my house. Went on line to check prices, .... BA wants 360 quid!!! Now i know that i can fly to Hong Kong or Beijing for 380 quid return!!! Even the cheapest flights were around 250 quid to Cyprus. Now how can a 4 hour flight cost 360 quid return and a 15 hour return trip cost just 20 quid more??

I've been traveling for years now and i've never been able to work out why exactly the same flight on one day, cost 3 times as much on a different day of the week, and i'm not talking about weekends?? If that's not a complete scam i don't know what is!! One things for certain, you'll never ever get a straight answer to that question, i've asked it may times. You would think that bums on seats rules the flight costs, but obviously it doesn't!!

You've hit on a sore subject for me here Marvo ...lol!!!

 

[davie spark]

If you are going to 'fly' here's a tip. Take a bomb with onto the flight because the chances of there being TWO bombs on the same flight is trillions to 1, then you'll be safe.

 

[Marvo]

You've hit on a sore subject for me here Marvo ...lol!!!

Sore subject with me too. A business class return is costing me ZAR 16000.00 (1300 UK pounds or quids as you call them) I got quotes ranging up to ZAR 23000.00.

 

[davie spark]

Here's another example of illogical air flight policy, in analogy terms; you weigh 13 stones, you're allowed to 20 kilos of weigh in a suitcase, any more in the case and they charge you more money.The guy next to you in the queue has the same 20 twenty kilos in his case but he weighs 22 stone and doesn't get charged for being above average weight, where's the fairness/logic in that? So people who look after their weight are penalised on flight because of fat people.

 

[Marvo]

I think there's two reasons they avoid that minefield, firstly it's not politically correct to pick on fat people, secondly ....nah, let's not go there....