Finnair Plus - Greenwashing

Kati Ihamäki, VP, sustainable development has released her latest Finnair blog. I used to think that it is good thing to have such a person in Finnair. But, in this blog (I only found it in Finnish) she explains that changing to instant coffe, dropping newspapers, changing cofffee-spoons to sticks (does not bother me), thinner seats etc are based on enviromental issues (saving CO2). I think it is total B-S marketing. Think, how much more it would save nature, if Finnair dropped tax-free carts and flying pre-order goods to Asia to be delivered on the return flight. Or if they would load the meals for return flight from the short-haul destination instead of flying them across Europe. Thinner seats save energy but think how much more CO2 emissions would go down if long-haul business class seats were changed for economy class seats and the the porcelaine plates would be changed for plastic ones. Well, Finnair has changed the breakfast bowl in European C class for a plastic one (and you can look at this youtube video on the enviromental friendly KLM salad bowl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFK1JfGHy8Q)).

I admit that these changes save fuel and CO2 emissions (Kati Ihamäki did not lie), but it is more of a cost-saving matter rather than a genuine enviromental issue. They just want to greenwash the ideas as such and they want us to forget the real reasons. It is the yields that matter.

Yes, greenwashing is the word. "In the name of the environment, what cost-reductions can we make?"

All transports will result in some emissions. All transports also have the benefit of transporting stuff (people/cargo). Recognizing the benefits of the transport and thus reducing emissions per each unit transported stuff is the way to go.

Like filling each flight to 100% capacity. Which is difficult to do if one offers crappy service in the name of environment.

Like removing stuff that does not need to be transported.
The tax-free observation is spot on. Why not discontinue having these products onboard, and instead build a collection-point in HEL. Wouldn't that save "a ton" of co2? A real change for the emissions, but will probably not happen because of fear of losing business.

The tax-free observation is spot on. Why not discontinue having these products onboard, and instead build a collection-point in HEL. Wouldn't that save "a ton" of co2? A real change for the emissions, but will probably not happen because of fear of losing business.

My memory is kinda hazy (too much tax free stuff?), but didn't Reykjavik have something like that?

My memory is kinda hazy (too much tax free stuff?), but didn't Reykjavik have something like that?

Not sure, but CPH has it. However, it is not airline owned, so airlines keep selling stuff onboard.
AY is the dominant at HEL and already operates an airport taxfree store. IMO it would therefore be easy to set up a AY owned collection point at HEL.

But there might be interference with some EU tax law - at airport taxfree goods can only be sold on outbound trip. It is strange though, I would consider a person being outside of EU as long as you are outside the border /immigration control.

BA, with their Sleeper Service, has shown that offering less onboard can be compensated by innovative in lounge dining offers and arrivals lounge services at the destination.

Maybe this could be an alternative way, the current Finnair CEO has proven that he is open to new ideas at least when it comes to grabbing additional benefits for himself.

Agree, total BS. These days the trend seems to be, that all cost cutting/lowering of service levels are acceptable, if it can be somehow mentioned in the same sentence with "CO2 emission"

Of course only those CO2 emissions are bad that don't bring in cashflow. The examples mentioned by the OP are excelllent to point this out - especially the absolute nonsense tax-free sales.

In particular I fail to see how instant coffee involves less CO2 emissions than "normal" coffee. Same amount of water, but more CO2 emission in the manufacturing phase...

Finally - think how much CO2 emissions Malev and Spanair are saving these days... ;)

Complete and utter c*ap...had skipped this thread previously and now hope it would have stayed like that..