Sabre tool measures Greenhouse emissions
Sabre Travel Network is developing a product that allows business travel agencies to produce reports for their corporate customers about the environmental impact of the flights they are booking. The Greenhouse Emission report is compatible with both Turbo Sabre and MySabre, the two booking tools connecting travel agents to the system.
Each report is divided into four sections detailing the number of air segments booked over a given period, the distance flown, the relative amount of fuel burned expressed in kilograms and litres, the relative number of kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced as a result, and a break-down of the other Greenhouse gasses produced. The reports can be prepared by department, cost-centre, segment type or date.
Richard Adams, Sabre Travel Network’s senior vice-president, EMEA, said: “The Greenhouse Emission report adds a significant environmental element to the overall service that travel management companies can offer their corporate customers. It’s an unusual, interesting and useful product and gives Sabre-connected TMCs an extra point of differentiation when they go in to pitch for a company’s travel business.”
CO2 emissions are used globally as the basis for calculating climate change and environmental damage. The other pollutants produced by air travel can be converted into CO2 equivalents. This is done with an internationally-recognised formula.
Once the CO2 emission levels of any travel are quantified, steps can be taken to offset these through re-forestation, purchasing the equivalent number of carbon ‘credits’ (the proceeds of which are ploughed into environmentally beneficial projects), or reducing the company’s carbon ‘footprint’ by a corresponding amount in other areas, such as reducing water consumption or lengthening the cycle over which company cars are renewed.
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Emission levels may vary for the same flight on different days. Variable parameters include an aircraft’s load, flight profile, the external temperature, winds and engine or aircraft characteristics.
Adams said the Greenhouse Emission report would help those companies concerned about the environmental impact of their executives’ business travel take steps to offset this, and therefore continue with business travel as usual.
The Greenhouse Emission report is an addition to the end-to-end portfolio of solutions that Sabre Travel Network provides for agencies serving the corporate marketplace.
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