Detailed FAQs
British Airways is proud to be an industry leader in tackling climate change, driving urgent action towards net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and investing in the development of sustainable aviation fuel and zero emissions aircraft. Over the next 20 years, British Airways’ parent company IAG will invest $865 million in the development of sustainable aviation fuel. It is the first European airline group to commit to powering 10 per cent of all flights with sustainable aviation fuel by 2030.
The price you see represents the total cost to deliver the carbon units from the supported climate solutions. All of the funds collected, excluding taxes and the fees charged by CHOOOSE on each transaction, are applied directly to verified carbon removal projects and/or to Sustainable Aviation Fuel. For each transaction, a small administrative and technology fee is charged and received by CHOOOSE™. The administrative and technology fee is USD 0.42 per passenger per flight, and this contributes to cover CHOOOSE's running costs.
Please first read our FAQs on this page. If you need to speak to us directly, please email us at ba-support@chooose.today.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can be produced from sustainable feedstocks, such as used cooking oil, woody biomass, or orchard and forestry waste.
Using SAF results in a reduction in carbon emissions compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces over the lifecycle of the fuel. As SAF is similar in chemistry to traditional fossil jet fuel, it can be dropped straight into existing fuel supply infrastructure and aircraft without modification and is therefore the readiest solution to help decarbonise aviation. It has the potential to provide a lifecycle carbon reduction of more than 80% compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces.
A major challenge is that SAF availability remains low globally, and today accounts for just over 1% of our total fuel. So, we have committed to fuelling our aircraft with 10% SAF by 2030. Alongside our parent company IAG, who has so far committed $865 million to SAF investments and purchases, we see SAF as one of the key solutions in our transition to Net Zero. This includes investing in first-of-a-kind SAF plants in the UK and US to scale up the availability of SAF.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can be produced from sustainable feedstocks, such as used cooking oil, woody biomass, or orchard and forestry waste.
The SAF sources you are contributing to are based on wastes and residues and this ensures they deliver high CO2 reductions, typically more than 80% lifecycle reductions as compared to conventional jet fuel per litre.
We ensure that the SAF supplied has been through a detailed sustainability assessment using recognised sustainability certification systems. These assessment systems are independently verified and ensure that the fuel has genuinely been derived from waste-based sources. The certification process also ensures that the whole life cycle greenhouse gas emissions are accurately calculated and that systems are in place to minimise the impact of producing the fuel.
Carbon Removals
Today, nature-based solutions that remove carbon are often verified by the same certification standards that verify other carbon offsets, and so if you are focused on removals, you need to independently confirm that they are removing carbon as opposed to reducing or avoiding it. Other forms of carbon removals are often verified by different certification standards (like Puro.Earth).
Cost & Pricing
Cost per tonne and cost per mile may vary depending on:
The project you select – projects vary in price, as described above.
Emissions factors – see FAQ about emission factors.
Our Carbon Calculator
We combine the data that you enter with data from the airline to calculate your emissions. If your flight is within Europe, we adjust the emissions calculation to reflect the emissions already reduced by British Airways’ participation in regulatory systems including the UK and EU Emissions Trading Systems so that we aren’t double counting these emissions.
Our calculator uses average historical British Airways data from the most recent full year. If your flight is within Europe, we adjust the emissions calculation to reflect the emissions already reduced by British Airways’ participation in regulatory systems including the UK and EU Emissions Trading Systems so that we aren’t double counting these emissions.
Other calculators may use factors that are specific to a particular airline, or standard government factors. Other reasons for differences include the extent to which data is split by cabin class and whether non-CO2 effects are included. Given that the relative scale of non-CO2 impact is uncertain and subject to ongoing research, we are using a radiative forcing index of 1, which means that the non-CO2 effects are not included in the calculation of your estimated footprint.
To better understand our non-CO2 climate impacts and the opportunities to mitigate them, we’re working with organisations such as Breakthrough Energy, the Jet Zero Council, the Aerospace Technology Institute, and researchers at Imperial College London and the University of Leeds. Our collaboration with the scientific community and other partners aims to help reduce the uncertainties associated with non-CO2 impacts so that the whole of the aviation industry can better understand the opportunities for improvement.
An emission factor is a number that has been calculated using historical information about an activity and its emissions to give the quantity of emissions per unit of activity. In order to calculate carbon emissions for your flight the total distance is multiplied by the relevant emission factor for the aircraft cabin that you have selected. CO2e factors are calculated from average historical British Airways data from the most recent full year. The emission metric we use is the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) which takes into account other greenhouse gas emissions produced by aircraft, as defined by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
CHOOOSE and British Airways are working towards enabling you purchase climate products during your booking process as soon as possible. We have chosen to offer customers the opportunity to act on their footprint now rather than wait for changes to booking systems.
The data in the calculator is updated regularly based on:
• Annual emissions factor data provided by British Airways.
• Changes to emissions regimes.
Flying and Carbon Emissions
Aircraft engines burn fuel in order to transport passengers from one place to another. This process creates CO2 and other emissions.
These total emissions are divided among passengers, taking into account the fact that passengers in business and first class have larger seat room and increased luggage allowances.
The factors that determine the emissions for a journey are:
•Arrival and departure point – this determines distance and fuel consumption
•Number of passengers
•Travel class
•Carbon emission factor – this determines the CO2 equivalent per kilometre
•Load Factor
The UK and EU Emissions Trading Systems (ETS) work by setting a limit (or cap) on the amount of CO2 emissions that are allowed from obligated industries e.g. power generation, aviation, fuels and chemicals production. Companies are required to reduce their emissions or buy emission reduction credits from other companies in the system that have reduced their emissions and thereby have allowances to sell. CO2 allowance units equal to the cap are distributed by governments to airlines either freely or through auctions. Airlines that emit CO2 above their cap must buy emission reduction units from other companies that have reduced their emissions below their cap and thereby have allowance units to sell.
British Airways calculates its individual ETS cap and which of its emissions are already accounted for through the ETS. ETS CO2 allowance units purchased by British Airways above its individual cap are treated as emissions reductions achieved through emissions trading. To address your flight emissions, for flights regulated by emissions trading, we subtract the CO2 allowance units above British Airways' individual emissions cap that the airline has paid for through the ETS to leave the remaining residual CO2 emissions that need to be addressed.
CORSIA, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, is the climate regulation agreed by the international UN body the International Civil Aviation Organisation. The regulation addresses the increase in total CO2 emissions from international aviation above a historical baseline so that net CO2 emissions between participating countries do not grow in future.
CORSIA’s obligations have already started. As of 1 January 2019, all carriers are required to report their CO2 emissions on an annual basis. Airlines are required to offset growth emissions from 2021 onwards, so from 2021 we will adjust the offset calculation to take account of emission reductions required by CORSIA.
To better understand our non-CO2 climate impacts and the opportunities to mitigate them, we’re working with organisations such as Breakthrough Energy, the Jet Zero Council, the Aerospace Technology Institute, and researchers at Imperial College London and the University of Leeds. Our collaboration with the scientific community and other partners aims to help reduce the uncertainties associated with non-CO2 impacts so that the whole of the aviation industry can better understand the opportunities for improvement.
Given that the relative scale of non-CO2 impact is uncertain and subject to ongoing research, we are using a radiative forcing index of 1, which means that the non-CO2 effects are not included in the calculation of your estimated footprint.