ZERO

ZERO A report on the travel business and the environment

20/05/2024

ZERO - the travel business and the environment
See https://wp.me/pTv9-Nf

Includes:
Greenwashing-Expedia/WTTC
Trip.com useless survey
Cleaner air-ICAG/Lufthansa/United

26/04/2024

ZERO - the travel business and the environment
As ZERO is a monthly subscription report, the following is not the current edition.
See https:/wp.me/pTv9-MI

Includes:
Cleaner air-Alder/Boeing/Carbon capture/Low-carbon fuel/UK Jet Zero/Universal Hydrogen/Vertical Aerospace
PATA EV programs-Expedia/Unesco/Tour Link
Cleaner air-$175bn/year

05/04/2024

ZERO - the travel business and the environment

As ZERO is a monthly subscription report, the following is not the current edition.
See https://wp.me/pTv9-LH

Includes:
Companies: Airbus United Neste Qantas
SAF
Eurocontrol
ITB Berlin on the environment
Airport emissions
Bordeaux airport

12/03/2024

Environmental Updates

An excerpt from our monthly ZERO report. As this is a subscription report, the following item is not from the current edition.

Royal Caribbean greenwashing
The Royal Caribbean* cruising group targets net zero emissions for 2050*. Maybe, but over the next 18-24 months it will do nothing except decide what to do - ‘develop objectives’.
Other commentary:
-RC reports the delivery of a net-zero cruise ship by 2035, although it awaits ‘solid partnerships’ (which sounds like financial incentives) from many others, listing governments, suppliers, shipyards.
-RC reports that it has ‘consistently delivered [ships] 20-25% more effective’. RC does not ‘deliver’ ships - it takes delivery of ships - and so we do not understand its meaning. Also, ‘effective’ can have many meanings, not necessarily EF.
-Its Silversea brand is due to launch a ‘hybrid-powered’ ship in summer 2023. But not into operations; where and to do what is not clear. RC says this ship will offset 12% of a part of it emissions - but it is not clear what this will represent overall. The elements of the hybrid power are not given.
-It also plans delivery of a ship (sometimes described ‘Evolution Project’, sometimes ‘Project Evolution’) that will eliminate ‘local emissions’ in port. Once again, much is not clear: no dates given; by definition, ‘local’ emissions can be only in ports; what share do those emissions represent of total emissions; and which emissions - CO2?
-Sadly, WWF (World Wildlife Fund) participates in RC’s greenwashing. In 2016, RC and WWF signed what they called a ‘partnership’. RC set targets for 2020 (details not known) to reduce its ‘environmental footprint’ and ‘support’ ocean conservation. It reports that it met or exceeded its targets (except, ironically, for sustainable sourcing for seafood, now due in 2022).
-WWF supports RC actions. ‘Achieving net zero emissions no later than 2050 [*] will require innovation and collaboration to scale, and WWF is pleased to be a contributor to progress to this important step.’ WWF threatens its credibility with such statements.
*Notes:
-Royal Caribbean Group is the trading name of Royal Caribbean Cruises. As well as that brand, it has Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises, and 50% of the operator of Hapag-Lloyd and TUI cruiselines. RCG operates 58 ships.
-2050 is 30 years from now and we believe an unconvincing target, for public relations purposes only. 2030 would be a tough target, but surely 2035 is the furthest credible date?
-At press time, we had not received an answer to our request for clarifications.

‘end

21/02/2024

ZERO - the travel business and the environment
See https://wp.me/pTv9-J1

Includes:
Interhome CO2-neutral holiday homes
Electric aircraft market
Aviation CO2 emissions
British Airways buys SAF
United 100% SAF flight
Cleaner air:
Breakthrough Energy Catalyst
Embraer aircraft - electric, hydrogen
Alaska Airlines plastic plans
Southwest buys SAF

15/02/2024

ZERO - the travel business and the environment
See https://wp.me/pTv9-IT

Includes:
Clean cruising - maybe
Another mystery climate saver
WTO proposes nothing - again
Cleaner air:
Airlines’ EF future
Etihad ESG loan
Avocet/Fexco CO2 tracking
Google Flights
100% SAF flight
Delta buys SAF
ASL/Universal Hydrogen ATR72

05/02/2024

Environmental Updates

An excerpt from our monthly ZERO report. As this is a subscription report, the following item is not from the current edition.

Amadeus travel survey
Some findings from research on travellers* by Amadeus* (not compared with earlier surveys unless shown) on travel and sustainability, and what would help the travel business become more sustainable longterm:
-*46% said greater availability of green modes of transport - such as electric planes, trains - ‘might help’. Note 1.
-*44% said ‘making sustainable travel more cost effective would be beneficial’. Note 2.
-*41% said ‘transparency around travel companies’ sustainability policies would help’. Note 3.
*Notes:
-Spain-based Amadeus was originally an airline reservation company owned by some airlines. It has now a stockmarket-quoted company providing a wide range of products and services to companies in the travel business.
-Study of 9074 consumers in France, Germany, India, Russia, Singapore, Spain, UAE, UK, US.
-Note 1. This question/answer shows this is a complex matter. Little value in this finding.
-Note 2. Also valueless; Amadeus appears to be using ‘cost effective’ not for its proper meaning, but ‘lower cost’, although that more clearly shows the question/answer has no value.
-Note 3. We cannot understand how the travelling public knowing sustainable policies of travel companies would help those companies.
-Non-environmental parts on this topic are in our Net Value and W.Y.S.K monthly reports.
-At press time, we had not received an answer to our request for clarifications.

‘end

22/01/2024

Environmental Updates

An excerpt from our monthly ZERO report. As this is a subscription report, the following items are not from the current edition.

WTTC’s ‘Net Zero’ means zero
Well, almost. There are a couple of tasks hidden in WTTC’s* multiplicity of genteel words about its ‘Net Zero Roadmap’ (NZR) for the environment. But NZR cannot even be described as an ‘initiative’, an even-less-meaningful word than ‘roadmap’.
Two take-outs:
-NZR will comprise an ‘overview of climate actions in [the travel business; next, TTB]...lessons learned from the past...[actions] to help accelerate climate commitments and emissions reduction.’ This appears to be a content-description of a new report on travel and the environment.
-NZR and a new data report are what WTTC reports are its ‘biggest deliverables in the drive of [TTB] towards net zero by 2050*’.
*Notes:
-WTTC = World Travel & Tourism Council. A UK-based lobby group for the travel business, established in 1990.
-2050 is 30 years from now and we believe an unconvincing target, for public relations purposes only. 2030 would be a tough target, but surely 2035 is the longest credible date?

Cleaner air
From Washington Aviation Summary; comments from Travel Business Analyst:
[] The Azul airline plans to work with Lilium to build an eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) network in Brazil. This includes 220 Lilium eVTOLs, due to start operating in 2025.
[] DHL Express has ordered 12 electric Alice eCargo planes from US-based Eviation for delivery in 2024. Alice specifications: load 1200kg; range 800km; 30 minutes to charge per flight hour.
[] Eve, part of the Embraer aircraft-maker, and Ascent Flights Global plan an e-aircraft network in Asia Pacific, due to start operating in 2026. Eve plans to provide Ascent with 100,000 flight-hours/year on its eVTOL aircraft, also known as EVA (Electrical Vertical Aircraft), in Bangkok, Manila, Melbourne, Singapore, Tokyo.
[] FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), the US government body that controls aviation in the country, plans to give US$20.4mn in grants to reduce emissions at US airports.

Briefs
[] Non-meat* offers at some Mandarin Oriental hotels:
-Bangkok. Serves vegan and gluten-free afternoon tea. Choices of plant-based meat and tofu instead of cheese and clotted cream.
-Hong Kong. Impossible Burger (one of the two main companies; the other is Beyond Meat) products.
-Landmark, Hong Kong. Targets a 35:65 ratio between animal protein and plant-based ingredients for its menus.
-Tokyo. Vegan Chinese dishes including dumplings, soups and stir-fried vegetables.
Notes: Food accounts for 25-30% of CO2 emissions, with livestock 15% of that.

[] Helbiz* has installed a unit for renting and recharging electric scooters in Lugano, Switzerland. The unit can be moved to other locations.
*Notes: US-based, launched in 2015, providing ebicycles, emopeds, escooters, with charging units, in 35 cities.

[] A report by VDR (Germany’s Business Travel Association) found that in 2020, 90% of business travel managers in the country, and 97% in the public sector, believe that sustainability will become a competitive factor when choosing service providers.

[] PATA* award* winners (our extraction of ZERO-related sectors):
-Grand Title, Sustainability and Social Responsibility. Cinnamon Hotel Management, Sri Lanka.
-Gold Award, Climate Change Initiative. Melco Resorts, Macau.
-Gold Award, Corporate Social Responsibility. Ten Knots, Philippines.
*Notes:
-PATA = Pacific Asia Travel Association, a Bangkok-based regional travel promotional body.
-Awards. Generally, Travel Business Analyst ignores awards (except those few we win, of course), for many reasons, but mainly because it is hard as an outsider to determine which have value. But for ZERO, we have different criteria, and run many, as we believe any encouragement in this sector is good.

‘end

21/01/2024

Environmental Updates

An excerpt from our monthly ZERO report. As this is a subscription report, the following items are not from the current edition.

EU targets only airlines
The European Union has introduced a program to reduce carbon emissions by 55% by 2030, compared with 1990.
We are surprised that nothing, see below, is being planned for other (polluting) parts of the travel business - from hotels, ground transport, and those companies that sell/promote travel. The EU seems to believe that only aviation pollutes.
The travel-business related parts of the EU program include:
-Implementing aviation’s Corsia (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation).
-The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation. Requires that aircraft have access to clean electricity supply at major airports.
-The RefuelEU Aviation Initiative. Requires fuel suppliers to blend higher levels of SAFs in jet fuel taken at EU airports.

Briefs
[] Omio* reports:
-40% of those in France would change their mode of transport if it was better for the environment, compared with 45% of those in Germany, 57% in the UK.
-35% of travellers in France would accept a trip up to 30 minutes longer if that was better for the climate, 25% up to 60 minutes.
The problem is, of course, that most travellers do not change - even if they say they will change.
*Notes: Go Euro Travel, doing business as Omio, is an online travel website based in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 2012 by Naren Shaam. Source Wikipedia.

[] Ras Al Khaimah* reports that all its planned US$132mn (quoted as £96mn) investment in the visitor business will be in ‘sustainable’ projects. This is unlikely, if not impossible in the proper sense of the word, and RAK gives no detail.
RAK also reports that it is ‘working with’ Earth Check to ‘create destination wide sustainable practices’, including carbon offset, less energy and water consumption in ‘all’ hotels and (visitor?) ‘attractions’.
ZERO has requested EC to confirm details in order to re-establish its environmental credibility. At press time, we had not received an answer.
*Notes:
-An emirate in the 7-emirate United Arab Emirates.
-Non-environmental detail on RAK’s plans are included in our W.Y.S.K:What-You-Should-Know monthly-subscription-report.

[] Universal Hydrogen has signed to supply its hydrogen conversion kit - for regional aircraft and ‘green hydrogen’ fuel services - to the Icelandair Group.
US-based UH has also signed to supply ‘green hydrogen’ fuel services to Corvus Airlines in the US.

[] Deutsche Aircraft, a new aircraft manufacturer, and Germany-based H2FLY plan to work together on R&D of hydrogen fuel cell technology for commercial regional aircraft.
H2FLY first flew hydrogen-powered flight in 2016. The two companies announced plans to fly a Dornier 328 as a test aircraft in 2025.
But separately H2FLY has announced plans to fly a 6-19 seater in 2027, and a 40-seater in 2030. Not yet clear is whether these are still separate targets or they are to be merged.

[] The UK government plans to force the aviation sector to zero carbon emissions by 2050*.
*Notes: That is 30 years from now and we believe an unconvincing target, for public relations purposes only. 2030 would be a tough target, but surely 2035 is the longest credible date?

‘end

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The environment and the travel business

ZERO reports on environmental activity in the travel business, with a critical viewpoint.

Other reports in the Travel Business Analyst group are WYSK:What-You-Should-Know, PinT (People-in-Travel, reporting on leaders in the travel business), Net Value (marketing travel on the internet). And blogs Foxtrots and Trottings.