Cheap flight backlash

Michael Gibson’s new year’s resolution was a tough one, but nothing to do with giving up cigarettes, alcohol or junk food. He has decided to stop flying.

‘I just realised that all my other efforts to be green – recycling, insulating the house, not driving a giant 4×4 – would be totally wiped out by a couple of holidays by air,’ said Gibson, 32, from Manchester. He’s not alone. Suddenly and spontaneously, growing numbers of travellers are deciding they must give up, or at least cut back on, their far-flung weekend city breaks and long-haul holidays in the sun.

Melissa Henry, a marketing director from Bristol, quit flying a year ago. ‘How could I look my four-year-old daughter in the eye in 20 years’ time and say “There was something I could have done but I chose not to”?’ she said. ‘For too long, I was saying “they must do something about it”, then suddenly I realised I can’t expect others to change if I’m not prepared to change myself.’

And it’s not just the hardcore eco-warriors who are taking a stand. Last week, one of Britain’s most influential travellers told Escape he had decided to cut down on flying. Mark Ellingham, founder of Rough Guides, the travel publishing company that played a key role in encouraging the independent travel boom of the last 20 years, said he would be limiting his trips by plane, and taking his summer holiday in Britain.

Observer