Climate Advisers Want Frequent Flyer Programs Banned—While Real Aviation Emissions Problems Are Ignored

Climate Advisers Want Frequent Flyer Programs Banned—While Real Aviation Emissions Problems Are Ignored

Climate advisers in the U.K. have floated restrictions on frequent flyer rewards as an “easy” way to reduce emissions, and commentators are now using that to explain why British Airways Avios keep getting worse. That gets the story backwards: BA is devaluing because loyalty is profitable, while bigger, fixable aviation emissions problems—from Europe’s fractured air traffic control system to contrail avoidance—are treated as an afterthought.