um Bill2.. having just come back from the States I can safely say we are already there in the no-frills department (Alitalia, but the lack of service and comfort is certainly rivaled by other carriers).
Oh, I didn't know. I always fly space available military transport, with no sound insulation, a round steel can for a toilet, and no food or drinks. Can't beat the price though.
Our friend who'a a flight attendant suggests that we start thinking of planes as merely buses that fly. When you take the bus you don't get food, water, movies etc unless you bring your own.
Since all the airlines are cutting services, this might not be a bad idea....at least then anything we DID get on a flight would be a pleasant surprise!
Sorry to throw cold water on this discussion, but please be aware that those short flights are the biggest polluters. I know it’s tempting. I know it’s irresistible. I can hardly wait to hop on the Ciampino-Orly flight on EasyJet, and recently I could’ve booked Ciampino-Dublin RT for under €100 for two!
The following statistics are from the site for Al Gore’s recent film on the subject, An Inconvenient Truth (is it showing in Italy yet? The DVD release is Nov. 21.) – see climatecrisis.net for more detail.
Different emissions factors are used for each flight length, as follows:
Short flight: .64 lbs/mile Medium flight: .45 lbs/mile Long flight: .39 lbs/mile Extended flight: .39 lbs/mile
You can, however, offset your collusion in pollution with carbon offsets. It seems like a genuinely American concept, doesn’t it? Buying your way out of debt. Anyway, have a look at these sites. The first is, again, the Gore material: http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/
Originally posted by Judith in Umbria: I might want more than a steel can for a toilet, though.. or am I being too middle class?
In that case more is better. The flying public won't tolerate jump seats (a nylon-web-on-aluminum-tubes bench which runs the length of the plane. And no cabin attendant to explain, "No ma'am, the seats don't recline".
As far as cheap transatlatic flights, have seen on Chicago O'Hare's website, they have had Ryanair listed for awhile now. Now with this news of Ryanair and Aerlingus maybe it will finally happen. Friday found a Scottish low-cost company, Globespan globespan that flies over the big Atlantic puddle for a decent price. So at the moment there are at least two that fly over for a reasonable amount of cash.
Posts: 118 | Location (City & State): Busto Arsizio VA Italy | Registered: 14 December 2004
Bill, with the exception of Coryate they usually didn't get very far. I admit that I am very aware when driving around Italy that preceding peoples did get all around Italy and Europe on foot. Roman troops moved themselves and all their stuff 20 Roman miles a day! They preferred it to sailing to Spain, for example. I guess sailing would do, eh? All the slow means of travel are not available to us, if only because one would have to stay in a hostelry every night, so that to go see my friend in Glasgow or Dusseldorf, the lodging bill and shoe leather would blow my whole income. Perhaps I don't understand the buying back of carbon, but I've run into the idea before. I couldn't figure out how giving money to an Indian tribe would make the globe any safer.
Perhaps I don't understand the buying back of carbon, but I've run into the idea before. I couldn't figure out how giving money to an Indian tribe would make the globe any safer.
It's like buying an indulgence. Money's paid, well, that's all squared away now, isn't it.
It's kind of like a conscience salve. I always thought it was about paying to have trees planted to offset the CO2 you have burnt up travelling.
Without any figures to hand, I would imagine catching a train from e.g. Rome to Munich would be less environmentally damaging than a plane. Think of how much fuel is needed and how many more people can fit on a train. I'd say there is a big difference. Rae might be able to help out here.
It's definitely more energy efficient- of that there is no doubt.
We were only offering a few even-more fuel efficient alternatives.
Now if they'd just put the ocean liners back on. Imagine the energy savings of motoring along at 30 knots for a few days instead of jetting at 600 knots in mere hours.
You know if you buy your own 20 or 40 foot container you could fix it up into a mobile home. Have them put it on the ship then take it off and put it on a trailer.
Posts: 2893 | Location (City & State): Toronto for now | Registered: 04 November 2004
Ships like this can be very luxurious. This one is smaller but some have 14 passengers or more. They are using officers' quarters now that computers do their work.
Expats in Italy Forum 
One day, one day.....
The flying public won't tolerate jump seats (a nylon-web-on-aluminum-tubes bench which runs the length of the plane. And no cabin attendant to explain, "No ma'am, the seats don't recline". 
