United Airlines Touts Green Credentials During Democratic National Convention

a close up of a jet engine

United Airlines has been lauded by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker for its use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at Chicago O’Hare Airport in a video timed to coincide with the Democratic National Convention.

United Airlines Touts SAF With Illinois Governor During 2024 Democratic National Convention

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is chemically identical to normal jet fuel, but made from renewable materials rather than fossil fuels. Per United, SAF can reduce carbon emissions (on a lifecycle basis) by up to 85%, compared to normal jet fuel.

United has been an early pioneer of the use of SAF in its fleet, though high costs of production have made it financially unfeasible compared to conventional fuel. However, United has recently brought SAF to O’Hare thanks to the Illinois SAF tax credits that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law in 2023 – the first legislation of its kind in the Midwest.

United tells Live And Let’s Fly it will celebrate that achievement this week to coincide with the Democratic National Convention:

At United, we figured with stakeholders from across the country attending the Democratic National Convention, that it would be a great time to recognize Illinois’ SAF policy leadership and encourage other states to follow their lead. That’s why we’ll be sharing a special video from Governor Pritzker with passengers departing from O’Hare via our customer communications text and email channels throughout the week.

This video will be shared with passengers arriving at and departing from ORD this week:

Greenwashing?

While SAF may theoretically be a cleaner alternative to conventional jet fuel. United admits that SAF represents less than 0.1% of United’s overall fuel use:

Based on publicly available information on airline SAF purchases in Chicago. SAF is less than 0.1% of United’s overall fuel use. SAF must be blended with conventional fuel in accordance with regulatory requirements. Use of blended SAF results in lower carbon emissions on a lifecycle basis than conventional fuel alone.

In short, any substantial use of SAF is still quite a ways off…

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