• Air Canada Airbus A320-211 C-GQCA
    Air Canada
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    AC/ACA
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Calgary International Airport, Montréal–Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1967
    Alliance:
    Star Alliance
    CEO:
    Michael Rousseau
    Country:
    Canada

On Tuesday, Air Canada announced it had partnered with CHOOOSE as its new carbon offset partner. CHOOOSE's integrated software will now allow Air Canada customers to purchase verified carbon offsets when booking tickets through the airline's Canadian or US sites.

The platform, integrated into the above-mentioned North American booking sites, calculates the greenhouse gas emissions associated with a specific flight. It then offers the customer the opportunity to offset the emissions related to their individual travel. CHOOOSE will also provide a certificate confirming the customer's climate offset purchase. Members of Air Canada's loyalty program Aeroplan can also redeem points in exchange for offsets.

Michael Rousseau, President and CEO of Air Canada, said people were increasingly interested in responsibly reducing the environmental footprint associated with air travel. He also stated that high-quality carbon offsets remain one of several important tools for reaching net-zero emissions. Rousseau added,

"At Air Canada, we take a multifaceted approach to addressing climate change and sustainability. Environmental and social factors are incorporated into our strategic decisions, including in fleet purchases as well as daily operations through our support of low-carbon alternatives. (...) With the evolution of our carbon offset program, we are introducing greater convenience and ease for customers choosing to help mitigate air travel GHG emissions and support a range of trusted global climate projects which align with UN Sustainable Development Goals."

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Air Canada Airbus A220-300 taking off
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Growing list of aviation and travel clients

CHOOOSE is one of the leading platforms for carbon offsetting. The company provides integrated software for allowing company customers to take climate action immediately, for instance, during the booking process of airline tickets. Founded in 2017, CHOOOSE already has several airlines and other travel industry clients, including Japan Airlines, Finnair, LATAM, Southwest Airlines, London Heathrow Airport, and Skyscanner. Furthermore, it recently announced a new partnership with Amadeus as a strategic investor.

Andreas Slettvoll, CEO at CHOOOSE, said his company was proud to support Air Canada's leadership in seamlessly integrating climate solutions within their flight booking experience and excited to work with the airline to "make climate action more accessible for people worldwide." He further commented,

"We see an increasing demand from individuals and companies around the world wanting to understand and reduce the CO2 emissions associated with their travel, and to address the emissions that do happen by supporting both immediately available and future-looking climate solutions."

Southwest Boeing 737 seen through trees as it comes in for landing
Photo: Getty Images

Now, offsetting programs are not new. Many airlines have introduced some form of voluntary offsetting over the past few years. However, their efficiency and even potential detriment have been widely discussed, rendering it what may be called an optimistic half-measure at best. However, CHOOOSE has an extensively vetted portfolio of projects, which it says ranges from readily-available and frontier climate solutions, from carbon removals and nature-based offsets to sustainable aviation fuels.

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