Virgin’s new shame campaign

The duty-free cart on board Virgin Atlantic flights will soon have something else to offer passengers beyond the usual fare of alcohol, perfume and cigarettes. Airline staff will soon be offering passengers the chance to buy carbon offsets. In an effort to shame passengers into being environmentally responsible, the offsets will be offered in front of other passengers.

The cost of purchasing carbon offsetting for a flight depends on the flight’s length and the passenger’s seat classification. For example, paying a one-way economy flight between London and New York would cost £5, whereas a one-way business class flight between London and Sydney is likely to be around £26.

The Virgin program was inspired by the difficulty many airlines are facing in engaging passengers to participate in environmental initiatives like purchasing carbon offsets.

“If the person sitting next to you chooses to offset their flight, it may prick your conscience and you may pay too,” the Virgin spokesman was quoted as saying by The Times.

“We could see half the plane decide to offset. We are making this scheme as accessible as possible and we believe it will be the acid test of whether people really are willing to offset their emissions.”

www.virgin-atlantic.com