How travel CO₂ emissions are calculated on our site

Travalyst is a nonprofit initiative founded in 2019. It brings together leading travel and technology companies, including Google, Booking.com, Skyscanner, and Expedia. Its goal is to standardize environmental impact data across the travel industry, particularly related to carbon emissions.

This helps travelers access reliable, transparent, and comparable information to support more environmentally conscious travel decisions.

Travalyst uses the Travel Impact Model to estimate CO₂ emissions per passenger for each flight.

• Flight distance includes an additional 8% to account for commonly occurring route variations.
• Aircraft type: some aircraft are more fuel‑efficient than others.
• Business and first‑class seating occupies more space, which can increase emissions per passenger.
• Estimated load factor: fuller flights result in lower emissions per passenger.

Together, these factors help deliver a realistic and consistent estimate of the carbon impact associated with the air transportation options shown.

Club Med integrates Travalyst data to display estimated CO₂ emissions when selecting transportation options during the booking process. This helps illustrate the environmental impact of the different travel options available.

👉 Note: Club Med does not contribute to the development of the calculation model, but adopts it to offer greater transparency to guests.

Displaying the CO₂ impact of each travel option helps you:

• Understand the carbon footprint of your transportation, which reflects travel‑related emissions only. These estimates do not include emissions from your accommodation and are not linked to the length of stay, as they are shown as absolute values.
• Compare transportation modes (such as flying versus train travel) from an environmental perspective.
• Make more informed choices, such as selecting economy class, more fuel‑efficient aircraft, shorter flights, or considering train travel where available.

This transparency supports more thoughtful and responsible travel decisions.

Q: Why can two similar flights have different emissions estimates?
A: Differences in aircraft type, travel class, estimated load factor, and route characteristics can all influence the final emissions estimate.

Q: Is taking the train always more environmentally friendly?
A: In many cases, train travel results in significantly lower CO₂ emissions than flying, particularly on shorter routes where rail options are available.

Q: Can I offset my CO₂ emissions?
A: Yes, a variety of carbon offset programs exist. However, reducing emissions at the source remains an important first step.

• Travalyst provides a transparent and consistent model to estimate travel‑related CO₂ emissions, although it does not currently account for non‑CO₂ impacts.
• Club Med uses this data to help travelers make more informed and sustainable travel choices.
• Emissions are estimated per passenger, based on clear criteria aligned with industry standards.
• Understanding the carbon footprint of your trip is an important step toward more responsible travel.

For more information about the model used, visit Travalyst’s official website: travalyst.org