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Lufthansa’s European Union Strasbourg “shuttle”

onemileatatime.com

61–70 of 107 posts

Re: Lufthansa’s European Union Strasbourg “shuttle”

#61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My blood boils on receiving the bamboo or papper drink straw, which immediately soaks and becomes useless. Wonder if they use them on these flights that would surely help limiting the carbon footprint.

How often do you use straws? Maybe it's a cultural thing, but as far as I'm concerned, straws are for ages 1-10 and 75+.

It's climate change passive aggressiveness. You are provided with a tool which turns useless the moment you start using it. Oh, and nearby there is magazine with ranking of the most expensive yachts in the world, and of airlines by most comfortable first class.

Re: Lufthansa’s European Union Strasbourg “shuttle”

#62
The actual waste here is that while the European Parliament normally meets in Brussels, it is still bound by a 1992 decision to have a monthly session in Strasbourg [1]. This creates a huge and unnecessary overhead (shuttling 705 MEPs back and forth, maintaining separate offices in Strasbourg and other unnecessary duplication of efforts), of which this additional flight is just a small part. This could be fixed by deciding that the European Parliament meets in Brussels year-round.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seat_of_the_European_Parliamen...

Re: Lufthansa’s European Union Strasbourg “shuttle”

#63
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It makes my blood boil to think these frequent flyer politicians are the same people demanding action against climate change.

I just really don't get this. It's "gotcha" thinking and "if they don't live perfect austerie lifestyles they cannot change climate policies". Leave out that High Ranking government officials travel with security, press, aides, etc. Yes it's wasteful, but it's likely the safest, fastest and easiest method to gather decision makers. It's such the long tail of carbon output on the climate emergency. Additionally, these…

> Leave out that High Ranking government officials travel with security, press, aides, etc. Yes it's wasteful, but it's likely the safest, fastest and easiest method to gather decision makers

I don't understand this. I'm accustomed that the conditions, environment, the supervisors make it more difficult for me to perform my work tasks. Why this worry to enable the officials to do they job?

Re: Lufthansa’s European Union Strasbourg “shuttle”

#65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not even a couple of hours, that's the best part. There are direct trains (ICE/TGV) that take around two hours, some even a bit less. The flight can't possibly be faster if you factor in getting to the airport and going through the security theater. Which, if we want to talk about beliefs is another ridiculous policy that hasn't demonstrably saved any lives. Instead now people simply get shot up in theaters and…

If there are direct trains there is simply no excuse. Frankly, wherever there are fast alternatives, I wonder if the days of airlines are numbered. Push through rail opportunities like maybe more runs with smaller trains, better synchronization of schedules, quick connections, faster trains etc..

Sure, but just to add a bit to it there were multiple terror attacks on trains in Europe in recent years. In Germany there was this knife attack just a few months ago, as an example. You also run into some annoying folks on public transport from time to time even if they're not trying to kill you. In those pricey plane seats they're among themselves.

This is the best explanation I can come up with why they're doing it, there isn't really any advantage flying this route. It's not true that people choose the most ecological mode of transport as long as speed is equal or faster, they often have other priorities.

Re: Lufthansa’s European Union Strasbourg “shuttle”

#66

> Nearly two-thirds of the plane is business class Why is European business class so absolutely terrible?

It's a 50 minute flight. Long flights have a better business class.

Even 50 min hops in the US have something better.

Re: Lufthansa’s European Union Strasbourg “shuttle”

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aircraft are limited to a speed of 250kts below 10,000ft unless they're in an airport's control zone and then they're limited to 200kts. So, given the time to navigate Frankfurt's complex airspace, as well as balancing how much gas needs to be burned to get high to go fast, when you will shortly need to come off the throttle and descend anyways, versus just staying low and within the speed limits, I can see 55 minute…

This makes sense to me. The shortest commercial flight I ever took was from HOU to IAH†, a flight distance of 24mi/39km. I was surprised how long it took. At first I thought it was because of traffic, but a member of the flight crew told me, "We go low and slow." †This was back when Continental was all mad about the parking situation at IAH, and so if you had an outbound flight from IAH, it would let you park for fre…

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/SCM25/history/20220504/2...

15 minutes in the air and doesn't go over 3500ft

What were they flying back on that route back then?

Re: Lufthansa’s European Union Strasbourg “shuttle”

#68
post #55

> In many cases these are high ranking government officials, and presumably if this flight didn’t exist, they might travel on private jets, which would be even worse; in order words, these people probably wouldn’t otherwise take a bus Do MEPs really qualify as high ranking government officials ?

Yes?

Members of the parliament (legislative power) are not the government, which is the European Commission in this case (executive power).

Re: Lufthansa’s European Union Strasbourg “shuttle”

#69
post #55

> In many cases these are high ranking government officials, and presumably if this flight didn’t exist, they might travel on private jets, which would be even worse; in order words, these people probably wouldn’t otherwise take a bus Do MEPs really qualify as high ranking government officials ?

Yes?

The kind that typically travel by private jet? I really don't think so.

Re: Lufthansa’s European Union Strasbourg “shuttle”

#70
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It makes my blood boil to think these frequent flyer politicians are the same people demanding action against climate change.

I just really don't get this. It's "gotcha" thinking and "if they don't live perfect austerie lifestyles they cannot change climate policies". Leave out that High Ranking government officials travel with security, press, aides, etc. Yes it's wasteful, but it's likely the safest, fastest and easiest method to gather decision makers. It's such the long tail of carbon output on the climate emergency. Additionally, these…

The only reason the parliament even meets in Strasbourg is because France was upset. Because Brussels was chosen as the seat of the EU instead of Paris.

> safest, fastest and easiest method

Many thousands of companies had to move their communications online due to the pandemic, which is the safest, fastest and easiest method to communicate.

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