Explaining pro-environment consumer behavior in air travel

Some airlines and airports have begun offering a voluntary carbon offsetting service. This article examines the behavior of passengers with respect to their preparedness to compensate for CO2 emissions. Responses from an online-survey of air travelers suggest severity, self-perception, and importance are positively related to willingness-to-compensate. How passengers perceive their self-effectiveness in reducing CO2 emissions does not affect willingness-to-compensate, but influences likelihood of compensating directly.

Research highlights
► The paper quantifies the willingness-to-pay of passengers for as part of a voluntary CO2 abatement program.
► People’s perception of the contribution of air travel to climate change has a significant positive influence on willingness-to-compensate in a compensation program.
► Air travelers who behave in an environmentally conscious manner in areas other than aviation appear to transfer this behavior to their air travel.