Q&A

• Will the charge really cover a carbon offset for my Loganair flight

   

   

  Yes. Voluntary carbon offsets under schemes run by some airlines and third parties for short-haul journeys can range significantly in price. Our programme will involve every single Loganair customer, so by working together, we can use that collective power to ensure that the cost of carbon offsets for each individual customer is modest and affordable.

• Where does the money go?

   

   

  The charge will go towards fully offsetting the carbon emissions generated from each and every Loganair flight. We’re already renewing Loganair’s fleet with the most fuel-efficient regional aircraft available – the ATR42 and ATR72 – yet beyond that, the technology to eliminate carbon emissions at source is still under development.

  • Safety is the most important priority for Loganair and our industry as a whole; we can only deploy this new zero-carbon technology once fully proven and certificated by aviation safety regulators for use on passenger-carrying flights.
  • Until 2024, when we expect the first truly low carbon airliners to become available, we’re participating in environmental projects worldwide in which the amount of carbon equivalent to that generated from each Loganair flight is saved elsewhere. We view this as an early step towards managing and mitigating our impact on the environment as we proceed on our journey towards zero-carbon flying.

• How does carbon offsetting work?

   

   

  We’ll invest the carbon offset charges in projects around the world which take an equivalent amount of carbon out of the atmosphere. Examples include developments in wind farm projects to replace coal- and gas-fired power stations to generate electricity and reforestation projects in which carbon-absorbing trees and plantations are developed. These take place in developing countries beyond the EU.

• Can I opt out of paying the new charge?

   

   

  We all have a collective responsibility toward the environment, and the only way to make a difference is to work together. The new charge will be included in every Loganair fare, including the headline price you see when searching for flights on the Loganair website and through other booking channels.

  If you see a price of £89 for your flight, you’ll pay £89—which will be your fare, airport/government taxes, and the carbon offset for your flight. You’ll see this itemised separately in your shopping basket as you select the flights to form part of your travel plans.

• Will the charge increase in future?

   

   

  We’re making a set of commitments today to achieve long-term change to the environmental impact of flying, starting with carbon offsets for our flights. The cost of carbon offsets can and undoubtedly will change over time, so we may have to adjust the charge in the future to ensure we can continue to meet these commitments.

• If my ticket is booked through a third party such as for hospital patient travel or through a business travel agreement, will I need to separately pay the carbon charge myself?

   

   

  No. We’re including this in our arrangements with key customers, so you don’t need to do anything.

• If I already have confirmed flights with Loganair, will I now be expected to pay an extra charge for my flight?

   

   

  No. If you have an existing booking with us for future travel, we’ll ensure that the carbon emissions from your flight are fully offset without you needing to take any action. We won’t ask you to pay any surcharge for a booking you’ve already made.

• Why haven't you just included this in fares?

   

   

  We think it is important to properly recognise the costs of mitigating our impact on the environment. Simply building this into our fares would not provide transparency or visibility of the environmental impact of flying.

  It’s right that we provide this information to our customers, and we encourage other transport companies—including ferry and rail operators—to do the same.

• If I am using a Loganair flight to connect to a flight operated by another airline, does this mean that the emissions for my entire journey are offset?

   

   

  No. You’d need to check with the airline operating your onward flight to see whether it also offsets the carbon emissions for the next flight you’re booked to travel on.

• If you’re concerned about the environment yet your flights are so short, why are you even flying? Shouldn’t people be using other forms of transport?

   

   

  Other forms of transport may be far worse than flying! The most recent study of carbon emissions for a journey between Edinburgh and Kirkwall found that using a car to Aberdeen and a ferry from Aberdeen to Kirkwall resulted in nine times more carbon emissions than flying directly with Loganair.

  The majority of Loganair flights cross water—where the alternative is generally a ferry journey with high emissions—and for those that don’t, they involve much longer overland journeys like Exeter-Glasgow or Inverness-Birmingham, where the differential between surface and air journeys is much narrower. Across the entire transport sector, we all have a role to play in reducing our impact on the environment, so Loganair is pleased to be taking this significant lead with today’s announcement.

• What about the non-carbon emission impacts of flying? How will offsetting help with this?

   

   

  Jet aircraft emissions at high altitudes can have additional global warming effects if contrails, a type of cloud, are formed. These clouds form occasionally under certain meteorological conditions, and the climate impact is uncertain but generally considered to have an undesirable effect. The majority of Loganair’s fleet operates at lower altitudes and for relatively short periods, meaning that contrails are less likely to form. However, we are also working with a leading climate science technology company to develop flight planning processes which would allow our aircraft to predict and avoid airspace where contrails may be formed.

• Will the carbon offset charge apply on Public Service Obligation flights?

   

   

  Yes, it will. The only exception is our very short flights within the Orkney Islands, during which we’ll offset the carbon emissions for you. We expect that these routes will be amongst the first in the world to see regular commercial services powered by alternative fuel sources.

• So when do you expect to be flying electrical or hydrogen-powered flights?

   

   

  Flight trials with alternative types of propulsion will be conducted in Summer 2021 on a non-commercial basis, and Loganair will support these trials from its Kirkwall base with Ampaire and ZeroAvia.

• Why are carbon offset projects not in Scotland and the UK?

   

   

  Our carbon offset programme must be accredited to the highest international standards so our customers can have complete confidence in it. The EU rules (now adopted by the UK) for carbon offsets mean that de-carbonisation programmes, such as the many excellent re-forestation projects in Scotland, do not qualify for these accreditation schemes at this time. We disagree with this, but we can’t change the rules set by the Government.  

  If the rules change in the future, we’d be happy to add environmental projects in Loganair’s heartlands to our programme.
  

• Will the carbon emissions from all Loganair flights for the cargo, oil & gas and charter sectors also be offset?

   

   

  Yes.

• Is Loganair considering other new per-ticket charges or changes to fund environmental initiatives or any other items?

   

   

  No.