Flight shame. It touches a nerve among thinking, caring travellers, putting us on the defensive. We know that planes emit greenhouse gases and pollute the atmosphere, but many of us choose to look the other way. Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, aviation was growing at an alarming rate: in December 2019, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) predicted that by 2030 the number of flights tourists make each year would be 592 per cent higher than it was in 2005.
Nobody knew at the time that, within months, most of the world’s planes would be grounded. With so many new issues to contemplate – from the minor inconvenience of wearing a mask, to the possibility of getting stranded or infected in transit – the days of hopping on a plane almost without thinking are surely over. But does that mean we should rule it out? Some of the most common worries concerning flying are exaggerated.