United strives to be the airline industry leader in environmental sustainability.
At United, we are committed to operating an environmentally sustainable and responsible airline. This means we are constantly working to minimize our environmental impact, continuously looking for new ways to reduce our carbon footprint in the air, on the ground and at our facilities.
United Airlines made history in 2018 by becoming the first U.S. airline to publicly commit to reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions—50 percent by 2050—further strengthening our aspiration to be the world's most environmentally conscious airline. We will continue to invest in ongoing environmental initiatives to support this commitment, including expanding the use of more sustainable aviation fuel, welcoming newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft into our fleet and implementing further operational changes to better conserve fuel.
In 2019, we put our commitment into action with the departure of the Flight for the Planet, the most eco-friendly commercial flight of its kind in the history of aviation. On the Flight for the Planet, United became the first known airline to demonstrate all of the following key actions on a single commercial flight: utilization of sustainable aviation fuel; zero cabin waste efforts; carbon offsetting; and operational efficiencies. Our Flight for the Planet was designed to help us evaluate key measures of flying as sustainably as possible using our current technology, resources and fuel-saving procedures.
Air Transport World has twice named us the Eco-Airline of the Year since we launched our industry-leading Eco-Skies program. While these awards are certainly gratifying, they are also solid proof that doing good pays off. We will use this recognition as fuel to power our continued efforts toward running the most environmentally friendly airline in the world.
SFO-ZRH flight video – 2050 goal
Recent stories on our sustainability commitments:
United Airlines Commits to a Cleaner Future (September 13, 2018)
United Airlines Makes History Flying the Most Eco-Friendly Commercial Flight of its Kind (June 5, 2019)