Flight emissions labels confuse consumers and fail to alter booking habits

Carbon labels on flight searches barely influence travel choices and leave consumers confused.

Recent research reveals that carbon emission labels on airline search engines have a minor effect on consumer flight selections. Participants in the Environmental Protection Agency study struggled to comprehend how the environmental impact figures were calculated. The findings suggest current transparency efforts do little to shift public travel habits toward greener alternatives.

• The findingsParticipants demonstrated poor understanding of the underlying calculations used for airline carbon outputs.
• The fundingThe research project received backing from the Environmental Protection Agency.