MARRAKECH, Morocco, January 23 /PRNewswire/ --
- New Environmental Initiative Coincides with European Union's First Commitment Period of the Kyoto Protocol;
- Atlas-Blue and Airsavings Develop Program To Eliminate Carbon Footprint Created By Air Travel
European low-cost airline Atlas Blue is the first carrier in Africa and second in Europe to offer carbon offsets to air travelers as part of its booking platform. At a time when environmental impact of air travel is increasingly important to consumers, Atlas Blue passengers reserving a flight on its website www.atlas-blue.com, can now cancel out harmful carbons emitted during their trip by contributing to carbon-neutralizing projects around the globe. The program, powered by Airsavings SA, a European supplier of back-end technology and solutions to low-cost carriers, calculates flight emissions based on distance travelled, fuel consumed, load, capacity and radiation effect. The program computes a monetary contribution based on these coordinates sufficient to neutralize the carbon emitted. Contributions go directly to ActionCarbone, a European-sponsored nonprofit organization that funds carbon-offsetting projects like tree planting and alternative energy implementation. ActionCarbone (www.actioncarbone.org) is backed by ADEME, France's government agency for environment and energy issues, and is operated by GoodPlanet, an NGO that promotes sustainability and ecological preservation.
Atlas Blue's move comes just as the European Union's first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (2008-2012) begins and although air travel is not expressly covered, reducing emissions generated during flight is seen as integral to meeting obligations outlined by the protocol. For Atlas Blue, making offsets available to passengers is also very good business sense. In two years, the low-cost subsidiary of Royal Air Maroc (RAM), has become the largest e-commerce airline in the southern Mediterranean region, serving many European cities including Paris, Marseille, Brussels, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Amsterdam and London. With a commitment to sustainable development, Atlas Blue operates a young fleet of A320 aircraft, deploying only the most energy-efficient planes. Low-cost carriers, like Atlas-Blue, have the lowest carbon footprint and environmental impact in travel because of their business model which eliminates wastage and uses newer, more efficient aircraft.
"Demand for a way to effectively cancel out climate-changing effects inherent to air travel is very high on our customers' list of priorities," says Raphael Bejar, CEO of Airsavings SA. His company provides the booking platforms used by many of Europe's low-cost airlines and in turn, utilized by millions of air travelers. The company also develops revenue generation solutions for these airlines, focusing on improving profitability, service and value. "Travelers are very concerned about their carbon footprint, and offering them a way to minimize the impact of their flight on the environment allows us to both meet their wishes and add value to the Atlas Blue experience."
Atlas Blue's carbon program is the first dynamically integrated offset initiative; whereas other airlines offer a flat-fee offset based on averages, Atlas Blue calculates contribution amounts based on distance as determined by GPS coordinates. Passengers also have the option of electing not to contribute.
To arrange an interview with Atlas Blue or Airsavings, or for more information about the range of global environmental initiatives served, please contact Vanessa Horwell at +1-305-776-8817 or Vanessa@thinkinkpr.com.
Related links: Atlas Blue - www.Atlas-Blue.com Airsavings - www.Airsavings.net Article - The Greening of the Airline Industry; the Practice of Carbon Offsetting Web site: http://www.Airsavings.net http://www.Atlas-Blue.com http://www.actioncarbone.org
Vanessa Horwell, ThinkInk Communications for Airsavings, +1-305-776-8817, Vanessa@thinkinkpr.com
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