Thai Airways includes carbon footprint on in-flight menus

March 3rd 2010

Thai Airways is the first airline to feature a carbon footprint breakdown on its in-flight food menus.

The airline says the extra information will allow passengers to make environmentally conscious decisions when they select their meals. The airline’s President, Piyasvasti Amranand, says it is the first airline to calculate the carbon generated from the production of each meal serving for all their signature dishes.

The carbon information, which includes the fact that the airline’s Chicken Mussaman curry and rice produces 13.6kg of carbon for every 250g portion, has been provided by the Thai Greenhouse Gas Management Organisation.

The move reflects the growing trend for awareness of our effect on the environment when travelling by plane. Consumers are more aware than ever that air travel is not good for the environment, and in response to these concerns, airlines are doing what they can to help passengers to minimise the destructive effects of their travel plans.

In 2007, Virgin Atlantic started giving passengers the opportunity to offset their carbon with a donation towards low-carbon initiatives. Later, the Civil Aviation Organization launched a carbon calculator, which passengers could use to work out how much carbon was generated by their flights.