The aircraft is one of the most environmentally unfriendly modes of transport, and the damage caused by it is not compensated in any way.
Although the coronavirus pandemic is coming to an end, millions of travelers are already tired of it - however, the borders of some states are still closed, or you can get into them only with vaccination. As a result, many people who do not have the opportunity to go somewhere decide to go nowhere, choosing one of the entertainment flights that are becoming more and more popular around the world. People get on almost crowded planes, buckle up and take off to go to distant countries for vacation. During the flight, airlines offer them food and drinks, giving the impression of good entertainment.
Recently, the Taiwanese airline Eva Air began conducting recreational flights on a specially designed Hello Kitty aircraft. Similar initiatives have also been proposed by Brunei-based Royal Brunei Airways and Japanese carrier Japan Airlines. Singapore Airlines was also scheduled to launch entertainment flights in October.
Such recreational flights have become very popular among passengers. For example, Qantas offered a 7-hour low-altitude flight over Australia, and tickets were sold out in just 15 minutes. Prices for the most budget seats started at $ 550, and seats in business class cost $ 2700. The 12-hour flight over Antarctica was also popular. Of course, this is not a real journey, since passengers only circle in the air and return to the same airport from where they started the flight.
It should be remembered that despite the attractiveness of such recreational flights, they have a negative environmental effect and can lead to environmental degradation.
"Travel without travel" with great harm to the environment
Tourism expands our horizons, allows us to get acquainted with different cities, countries and cultures. We explore scenic spots, try new culinary delights, even learn new languages. However, airplanes as a means of transportation do not represent travel. They only transport people from point A to point B. These are buses with wings! We're in a confined space with over 200 strangers we may never meet again.
In addition, air travel is associated with many environmental difficulties: in 2019, the volume of carbon dioxide emissions from civil aircraft flights reached almost 1 billion tons. Therefore, flying nowhere is selfish and meaningless. No matter what they are made for, for the sake of photos or memories of past times with cheap airline tickets, such flights are harmful.
Of course, passengers will be able to look at the Great Barrier Reef and Antarctica, enjoy lunch and drink wine - even if they did not choose cruise ships. Recently, environmentalists have expressed concerns that cruises to Antarctica harm the last untouched corner on Earth, and magnificent views do not compensate for the damage done to the environment.
Antarctic flights are the worst of all: the breathtaking views of the snow-white continent are overshadowed by the fact that the flight itself contributes to its destruction. Due to global warming in Antarctica, ice melting has already begun, which can become irreversible and cause a rise in sea level by three meters.
Flights over Antarctica and the Great Barrier Reef increase greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating ice melting and coral bleaching. Coral bleaching, in turn, leads to coral death, which negatively affects biodiversity and the marine ecosystem.
Pleasure flights, although they provide an opportunity for air travel enthusiasts to enjoy flying, in fact serve as the main way to solve the financial problems of airlines: such flights bring them additional income and provide jobs for flight attendants and other airline employees. However, it is important to remember that recreational flights are not an environmentally sustainable solution and can do more harm than good. Instead, you can consider other activities and trips that will be less harmful to the environment: train travel, participation in bicycle tours or ecotourism.
