Eco-friendly travel: when to fly

By Jonathan Clarke

When should I fly?Flying during the day is more eco-friendly because aircraft leave contrails behind them that act like extra cloud cover.

A contrail is the long condensation trail left behind a plane as it zips through the sky. On a clear day near an airport, you'll be able to see them criss-crossing the sky.


"Night flights make up only 22% of flights in the UK, yet are responsible for between 60-80% of the greenhouse effect caused by aviation."

These long contrails create a greenhouse effect. At night they'll trap heat that's coming off the Earth's surface and trap it in the atmosphere. However, during the day they'll reflect a portion of the sun's energy. Their white colour helps reflect a lot of energy right back out into space and the outer atmosphere, giving an overall cooling effect.

Night flights make up only 22% of flights in the UK, yet are responsible for between 60-80% of the greenhouse effect caused by aviation.

With this in mind, try to book flights during the day. If you're going a long way, you could even get clever with timezones and try to stay in daylight even when flying for more than 12 hours.

Remember to book your airport parking, airport hotels and airport lounges with HolidayExtras.com.

Top tip
Buying locally made souvenirs and eating and drinking at local cafes and restaurants are great ways to get into the holiday spirit, and also benefit the local community.
makeholidaysgreener.org.uk

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