JetBlue now has carbon neutral operations on its domestic
network, the carrier reported.
The milestone, which JetBlue pledged
earlier this year, comes as JetBlue began offsetting carbon dioxide
emissions from JetBlue for all its domestic flights on July 1, a step the
carrier sees as "a bridge to other industrywide environmental
improvements, like fuel with lower emissions."
JetBlue already has been investing in lower-emission fuel
and is using such for its flights from San Francisco. Provided by Neste, the
fuel is produced from waste and residue raw materials. American Airlines and
Alaska Airlines both also began using Neste fuel in San Francisco in recent
weeks.
While Covid-19 has put airlines around the world in survival
mode, many are
continuing sustainability efforts that have been in the works prior to the
crisis. In late July, American also kicked off a new partnership with nonprofit
organization Cool Effect through which passengers can buy carbon credits for
three projects: saving forests in Massachusetts, restoring a peat swamp system
in Indonesia and building stoves that reduce wood-burning for families in rural
Honduras.
"The global pandemic reinforces the need to mitigate
risks that threaten the health of our business," according to JetBlue
president and COO Joanna Geraghty. "Even with a long recovery ahead
following the Covid-19 pandemic, JetBlue remains focused on short- and
long-term environmental opportunities, particularly lessening our largest
impact—carbon emissions—and more fuel-efficient flying."