The Swedish concept of „flygskam“ embodies a truly 21st century phenomenon – that icky feeling that you get when you take a flight because you know how bad it is for the environment to fly.
https://en.reset.org/blog/flygskam-flying-shame-movement-thats-taking-over-sweden-12112018
We all know that flying emits huge amounts of CO2. And covering the same distance by bus or train is always far more expensive. In fact, sometimes even getting to the airport by train can cost you twice as much as the flight itself. So why is air travel really so cheap?
https://en.reset.org/blog/why-are-flights-really-so-cheap-08282017
- Airlines still don’t pay any tax on kerosene.
- Within the EU, plane tickets are free from VAT (unlike train tickets, where VAT is at a hefty 19%)
- Airlines receive state support – Airbus and Boeing, for example, have been able to benefit from EU and US state aid for years, while many airlines are simply government owned.
- Flight operators benefit from subsidies when building and operating airports – subsidies provided by local authorities‘ tax revenue.
