When Good Service Isn't Green Enough

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  Nicholas Barnard04/14/08 Report as spam
  1

  Lack of Logic

  The outcry shows a lack of logic. Back in the 70s planes were regularly flying
  half empty (or half full, take your pick.) Now planes are at capacity (e.g.
  being used more efficiently) failures have bigger consequences because there
  is less unused capacity to adjust for the failures.
  
  Environmentalists should be congratulating airlines for running full flights,
  even if there is the occasional ferry flight, as a net it still is better than
  doubling the number of flights and halving the number of people carried on
  each flight. That would be an environmental travesty.
  
  I just finished reading, Beyond Fear by Bruce Schneier, and realize that people
  are horrible at making rational decisions en masse. Perhaps airlines should
  start advertising how green they are? Sure the push toward increased fuel
  efficiency is more a result of costs, but that also just makes the externality of
  environmentalism an actual cost item.