JetBlue spokeswoman Tamara Young said the
airline’s score dropped because researchers
considered seating density — JetBlue has fewer
rows in coach — and it burns fuel by operating
more of its flights in congested areas like New
York. The airline has ordered more fuel-efficient
Airbus jets.
The transportation council is a nonprofit group
that works with governments to set fuel-
economy standards and pushes for stricter
regulations to limit pollution. The council hired
the researchers who uncovered Volkswagen’s
emissions cheating.
A trade group for U.S. airlines disputed the
environmental group’s findings.
“The fact is that the U.S. airline industry is
a green economic engine,” said Airlines for
America spokesman Carter Yang. “When you
look at the bigger picture, the U.S. carriers
transported 42% more passengers and cargo in
2018 than in 2000, and we did it with just a 3%
increase in total emissions.”
Yang said airlines are investing in fuel-efficient
planes and developing alternative jet fuels.
He called it “a record of sustainability to be
proud of.”
Dan Rutherford, one of the report’s authors, said
airlines are slowly boosting efficiency, but not
enough to keep up with the growth in travel.
“We are heading off an emissions cliff right now.
This is becoming even more urgent,” he said.
Aviation accounts for a small but rapidly
growing share of greenhouse-gas emissions
— about 2.5% worldwide. Forecasters expect
air travel to grow rapidly in the coming years.