Delta
Category: Brand Ratings -> Airline Companies -> Delta

      Delta

Average Fleet Age: 15.7

Greenopia Environment Achievement:

Fuel Conservation

Alternative Fuel Types

Recycling Programs


Green Food Options
Green Building Design
Carbon Offsets





Efforts:
Delta has great environmental reporting and is one of the more environmentally transparent airlines we studied. Delta has received an award from the EPA for its recycling efforts (it has arguably one of the best recycling policies of any major airline) and Delta has a LEED certified terminal in Boston. Delta uses winglets on many of its planes which help reduce fuel consumption. Delta has been researching biofuels and we hope to see them being to incorporate alternative fuels into some of their flights. Lastly, Delta does offer carbon offset services when you purchase a ticket. These offsets come in a variety of projects ranging from the good (methane recapture) to the not so good (reforestation).

Issues:
Delta also does not offer many green food items on its flights, something we would like to see more airlines really embrace. Finally, Delta had a worse than average emissions per revenue passenger mile value and this is probably a reflection of it having one of the oldest fleets of any major airline.

Greenopia Verdict:
Delta really makes a strong effort to be green and should be commended, but its older fleet and relatively high normalized emissions hold it back just a little. Delta is positioned to become a true green leader as it begins to replace its older planes with more efficient ones.