Alaska Airlines lets passengers offset carbon footprint with SAF credits

Alaska Airlines announced that it will offer guests the choice to voluntarily reduce the environmental impact of their travel with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) credits during the flight booking process.

Airline users can now choose to support SAF in an amount based on 5%, 10% or 20% of their carbon impact when they book a ticket on alaskaair.com.

“Today, we’ve launched new options for guests to customise their travel experience, take action on the environmental impact of their trip, and help us scale the market for SAF. SAF is a critical part of aviation’s path to a more sustainable future, and while we use it today, there is not enough SAF available,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, senior vice president of public affairs and sustainability, Alaska Airlines.

The airline said the initiative builds on a successful pilot in late 2023 titled Alaska’s Mileage Plan.

Under the plan, members who buy SAF credits will once again earn elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) for their contributions. Mileage Plan members will receive 500 EQMs for every $100 they spend on SAF (up to 5,000 EQMs per year).

The airline is partnering with climate technology company CHOOOSE to offer SAF credit options.

The SAF credit option is based on carbon emissions associated with the guest’s flight and follow the International Air Transport Association recommended practice 1726 (passenger CO2 calculation method).

Alaska Airline has signed offtake agreements with Gevo, Aemetis and Shell Aviation.