Southwest Airlines aims to cut carbon emissions per available seat mile by 20 percent by 2030 through such measures as introducing more fuel-efficient aircraft, increasing use of sustainable aviation fuel and offsetting programs, including a program targeting corporate customers.
The carrier late last month said it was launching a Green Incentive Program for its corporate customers, through which they can earn funds for their own sustainability initiatives to be used for offsets, charitable donations or other sources. Southwest on Monday also announced it is partnering with climate action platform Chooose through which travelers can earn loyalty points by purchasing offsets for Southwest. Travelers can earn 10 Rapid Rewards bonus points per dollar spent toward purchasing offsets, a maximum of 500 points per month, with Southwest matching the contribution as well.
In addition, Southwest announced that Deloitte, Siemens and Zurich North America are initial partners for shared investment in sustainable fuel, in which the premium cost for a limited volume of SAF acquired by Southwest is covered by the companies through cash or unused UATP funds. Deloitte already has agreements with both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines to buy sustainable aviation fuel, and both it and Siemens have been initial participants in an alliance created by United Airlines to contribute toward purchasing the fuel.
Southwest aims to have SAF cover 10 percent of its total jet fuel consumption by 2030.
Fleet plans for carbon emission reduction include adding more Boeing 737 Max 7 and 8 aircraft while speeding up retirement of Boeing 737-700 aircraft. Southwest plans to invest more than $10 billion in aircraft orders over the next decade to improve its fleet's fuel efficiency.