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Transatlantic Flights For Only $12? How Strongly Do YOU Feel About Your Carbon Footprint?

This just in from TravelMole:

Ryanair plans to launch transatlantic flights with fares as low as $12 within four years.

The Irish no-frills airline’s chief executive Michael O’Leary told aviation industry magazine Flight International that he is looking to serve six US cities from European airports where it has bases.

He was quoted as saying the cheapest flights for US passengers would be $12 but revenues would be increased through the sale of food, duty free goods and in-flight entertainment. (full story – subscription required)

Great in the short-term – backpackers, ever travelling on a crimped budget, are always happy to save on airfare. Understandably.

But what about the long-term? The effects of air travel on global warming are increasingly in the spotlight and lower fares tends to lead to more travel and, therefore, to increased carbon emissions.

I suppose, in the end, it depends on how strongly you feel about the planet and about your own carbon footprint.

Related stories:
Ryanair’s O’Leary May Start a Trans-Atlantic Airline (Bloomberg.com)
Ryanair to go transatlantic within four years (RTE.ie)
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary plans launch of transatlantic no-frills airline with fleet of 50 Airbus A350s or Boeing 787s (FlightGlobal.com)

(Photo by ridestate/Flickr)

Posted in Transport, Travel News