Flight Carbon Footprint Calculator
Estimate the carbon footprint of your next flight based on distance, cabin class, and how many people are traveling.
What this calculator does
This tool estimates the greenhouse gas emissions produced by an airplane trip, expressed as kilograms of CO2-equivalent (CO2e). It factors in the distance flown, the trip type (one-way or round-trip), the cabin class booked, and the number of passengers traveling together.
How the estimate is calculated
Emissions per passenger-kilometer vary with flight length because takeoff and landing burn disproportionately more fuel on short trips. This calculator uses tiered emission factors: roughly 0.255 kg CO2e/km for short domestic-style hops under 500 km, 0.156 kg CO2e/km for medium-haul flights up to 3,700 km, and 0.150 kg CO2e/km for long-haul flights beyond that, in line with commonly used aviation emissions guidance. Cabin class multipliers then adjust for the extra space and weight allocated to premium seating (business class is weighted about 2.9x economy, first class about 4x), since fewer passengers share the same aircraft footprint.
The tree-offset figure assumes an average mature tree absorbs about 21 kg of CO2 per year, giving a rough sense of scale rather than a precise offset recommendation.
- Use this for general travel-planning and educational purposes, not as an official emissions audit.
- Actual airline-reported figures can vary by aircraft type, load factor, and routing.