A surprising number of French citizens, fearful of climate change, support restrictions on air travel that would severely curtail an individual's freedom of movement.
According to a survey from the Consumer Science and Analytics Institute, 41 percent support limiting people to traveling by plane no more than four times…in their entire life. Among younger French citizens, 18-24-year-olds, it’s even worse, as 59 percent support such a restriction. The flight limit was proposed by engineer Jean-Marc Jancovici and would apply to air travel for personal and business reasons.
Even though a majority opposed the hypothetical restrictions, 64 percent of respondents said they’d self-limit air travel over concerns about climate change.
The survey came ahead of French Transport Minister Clément Beaune calling on the European Union to set a minimum price for flights within Europe.
The move, if approved, would hit airlines offering super-cheap fares. But it may struggle to win sufficient support among EU countries, which include island nations that rely on air transport, and regions with tourism sectors buoyed by low-cost flights.
France's aim is to "open the debate on the fair social and environmental price of a flight ticket," Beaune said in written comments.
"It's not a question of multiplying by ten the price of tickets. Why? Because there are also people who take a plane once in their life, who don't have much money - it's also a freedom, a means of transportation that can't be reserved for only the rich," he said.
EU officials told Reuters countries including the Netherlands and Belgium support the idea in principle. Austria had previously proposed a minimum price, but faced legal complexities to take it forward, EU officials said.
"I think it's a discussion we have to have at EU level," Beaune said.
Winning broader support could prove challenging. Talks among EU countries on aviation fuel taxes have hit an impasse, with some governments opposed to passing measures that could raise prices for voters ahead of EU elections next year.
The EU has some measures to curb the environmental impact of flying. European flights will pay a higher price for their CO2 emissions in the next few years, under the EU carbon market. (Reuters)
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Airlines have already pushed back on the idea, of course, arguing that setting minimum prices would violate EU law that allows them to set prices as they see fit.
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