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- When a flight says “below average CO2,” it means that the CO2 emissions for that particular flight are lower than the industry average for similar flights. This can be due to a variety of factors, including the use of more fuel-efficient aircraft, the implementation of more direct flight routes, and the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel.
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Nov 17, 2021 · How do consumers respond to carbon emissions estimates for flights? UC Davis researchers found that people are willing to pay more for lower-carbon flights and that displaying emissions information may encourage greener aviation.
- Overview
- Where does Google get this information?
- Lifecycle emissions
- Typical emissions
- Unknown emissions
- Factors impacting emissions
- Other warming effects of flying
- Train emission estimates
Google Flights shows lifecycle greenhouse emissions estimates for the number of selected passengers next to each flight. Flights are labeled as higher, typical, lower, or unknown emissions.
Google calculates emissions estimates using the latest version of the Travel Impact Model (TIM), a model administered by Google and overseen by an Advisory Committee of leading experts in sustainability and aviation. The TIM is a transparent and continuously improving emissions estimation model that is built from public and licensable external datasets and based on the latest science and internationally-recognized standards.
For more information view the:
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Detailed specification
The Travel Impact Model accounts for the full lifecycle of jet fuel emissions by estimating well-to-wake emissions. Well-to-wake emissions are the sum of emissions produced by making and transporting jet fuel, as well as the carbon emissions (CO2) from burning fuel during take-off, cruising, and landing.
In addition to CO2, the TIM converts non-CO2 emissions into their "CO2 equivalent" (CO2e) on the basis of their global-warming potential.
Typical emissions are the median emissions for your searched route. The median is calculated as the middle value amongst all the possible emissions per route, and considers flights over the next year.
Emission estimates for each flight are compared to the route's median. This is how Google identifies flights with higher, typical, or lower emissions.
For some flights, we don't have emissions data available, nor are we able to make a close estimate. This might happen for a very specific aircraft type. In these cases, we won’t show any emission estimates, and the flight will be labeled as "unknown emissions."
Actual emissions may vary and depend on factors such as:
• Aircraft model and configuration
• Speed and altitude of the aircraft
• Distance between origin and destination
• The number of passengers
To understand the emission estimates that we display, it's important to know:
In addition to releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, flying can cause other warming effects such as contrails.
In regions of high humidity, water vapor in the air condenses around particles of soot from an aircraft’s exhaust and freezes. This forms cloud-like trails of condensation, or contrails for short. Most contrails dissipate quickly, but for a small fraction of flights, atmospheric conditions align to produce contrails that persist and spread out, trapping heat in the atmosphere.
When taking contrails into account, the warming impact of flying may be up to 60% more than estimates based solely on fuel burn [Lee, 2021. CO2e/GWP100]. Even though we know that only roughly 10% of flights cause the majority of persistent contrails, predicting their formation and attributing the impact to individual flights is difficult — like predicting turbulence weeks or months in advance. Additionally, there is no scientific consensus on how the impact should be quantified for individual flights. For these reasons, it is not currently included in the model used to estimate emissions.
Google is working with scientists, academics, and industry experts to make reliable predictions about contrail impact per flight. Eventually, we plan to include these predictions in the TIM.
To calculate emissions for trains, Google uses a method that considers the kilometers traveled and the number of passengers in your search. Trains emit 19 grams CO2e lifecycle emissions per passenger kilometer on average, according to the IEA. Exact emissions depend on the train and operator. IEA’s data is updated annually and Google is working to ...
Nov 14, 2022 · But the same trip, by Google Flights’ reckoning, generates 394 kilos of CO2 if traveling with American Airlines; 356 kilos of CO2 if flying Delta; or with Air France the quoted emissions...
Nov 21, 2019 · Learn how to estimate and reduce your carbon footprint from flying, and how to offset the remaining emissions by supporting projects that reduce or avoid CO2. Find out about different carbon offsetting programs offered by airlines and organizations.
Oct 6, 2021 · Getting To Zero Carbon: The Climate Challenge. With An Eye Toward Lower Emissions, Clean Air Travel Gets Off The Ground. Google lands on their final numbers by integrating third-party information...
Jul 22, 2021 · It finds that on average, the least-emitting itinerary on a route can emit 63% less carbon dioxide than the most-emitting option, and 22% less than the route average. “The wide...
Nov 21, 2023 · Learn why some airlines display the average CO2 emissions for flights and what factors contribute to lower emissions. Find out how passengers can make more environmentally friendly travel choices and what the industry is doing to decarbonize air travel.
