Flight carbon footprint calculator
Pick a route and a cabin to see the CO₂ emissions of the flight, per passenger. Cabin matters more than most calculators admit — a business seat carries about 2.9× the footprint of an economy one on the same aircraft. Free, and no sign-up needed.
Popular routes, economy vs business
One way, per passenger.
| Route | Economy | Business |
|---|---|---|
| LHR → JFKLondon to New York | 637 kg CO₂ | 1.9 t CO₂ |
| LAX → NRTLos Angeles to Tokyo | 1.0 t CO₂ | 2.9 t CO₂ |
| CDG → DXBParis to Dubai | 602 kg CO₂ | 1.8 t CO₂ |
| SIN → SYDSingapore to Sydney | 724 kg CO₂ | 2.1 t CO₂ |
| FRA → GRUFrankfurt to Sao Paulo | 1.1 t CO₂ | 3.3 t CO₂ |
| ZRH → LHRZurich to London | 91 kg CO₂ | 263 kg CO₂ |
| JFK → LAXNew York to Los Angeles | 457 kg CO₂ | 1.3 t CO₂ |
| DXB → SINDubai to Singapore | 672 kg CO₂ | 2.0 t CO₂ |
Common questions
How is a flight's carbon footprint calculated?
Great-circle distance between the two airports, multiplied by an emissions factor per passenger-kilometre and then by a cabin multiplier. The factors are ICAO-based: 0.115 kg of CO₂ per passenger-kilometre in economy, scaling up with the floor area a seat occupies.
Why does business class emit more than economy?
Because the aircraft's emissions are shared out by the space each passenger takes. A business seat occupies roughly three times the floor of an economy seat, so it carries roughly three times the share. Flying the same route in a lie-flat seat is genuinely a different footprint, not the same flight priced differently.
Is a direct flight better than connecting?
Usually, yes. Take-off and climb burn far more fuel per kilometre than cruise, so two short legs emit more than one long one covering the same ground — on top of the extra distance a connection normally adds.
Does this include radiative forcing?
No. Emissions released at altitude have a warming effect beyond the CO₂ itself, and multipliers between 1.7 and 3 are commonly applied to account for it. This calculator reports CO₂ only, which is the conservative figure and the one most comparable to other calculators.
How accurate is it?
It is an estimate, and the honest error bars are wide. Real emissions depend on the aircraft type, its age, how full it is, the freight in the hold, and the winds on the day. Treat the number as the right order of magnitude for comparing routes and cabins, not as a measurement of your specific flight.
See it for every flight you take
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Start your flight log — freeMore tools: the distance calculator and the compensation checker.