Virgin America is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and running an environmentally sustainable business. In 2010 it was named the Most Eco-Friendly Airline by the SmarterTraveler Editors’ Choice Awards, and in the same year completed LEED certification for its Burlingame, California headquarters.
Virgin America takes a variety of steps to maintain its reputation as an environmentally friendly business. Their aircraft are 25 percent more fuel efficient than the average domestic fleet, a level maintained through consistent efforts such as advanced avionics that increase efficiency, single engine taxiing, and cost index flying, which is the practice of regulating cruising speeds in order to reduce the burning of fuel.
On the ground, the airline is an anchor tenant at San Francisco International Airport’s Terminal 2. The terminal was built to improve indoor air quality and to reduce energy consumption, using new methods that succeeded in reducing greenhouse emissions by more than 1,500 tons per year. In addition to its sustainable practices, the Virgin Group reinvests its profits into researching alternative and sustainable fuels.
About the author: David Pflieger was among the team leading Virgin America’s efforts to become a US airline.