Finding More Sustainable Travel Options

Mission Statement

At Expedia Group we believe travel is a force for good. Our goal is to provide eco-conscious travel options to help make the future of travel more sustainable.
Check out the links below to find out what we are doing to help you discover more sustainable travel options.

Lower emission flights

When searching for flights on Expedia you can find out how the flight’s estimated carbon emissions compare to the typical emissions for your chosen search. The emissions comparison will depend on the cabin class you select.  To find this information, search for a flight on Expedia and then look for the emissions tag next to the fare details.

A flight’s carbon emissions can be driven by various factors and lower emissions could be due to factors such as a more fuel-efficient aircraft and shorter routes. Seats in premium economy, business and first class will have higher emissions estimates because of the larger space they occupy, and hence account for a larger share of the flight’s total emissions.

You may also experience not being able to find flights that have lower than typical emissions for your chosen route.

What method do we use to estimate emissions?

We use the Travel Impact Model (TIM) to calculate the flight’s estimated carbon emissions per cabin class. The data used for the TIM model comes from Travalyst, a non-profit organisation of which Expedia Group is a Partner.  Travalyst’s mission is to make travel more sustainable by creating frameworks that compare sustainability credentials across the industry and provide clear and standardised information. TIM is the first framework created for air travel to compute and report carbon emissions. Visit Travalyst to learn more about the TIM methodology .

The information that goes into the TIM model is provided by third parties such as airlines. For example: aircraft type and seating layout.

How are the emission estimates calculated?

• The TIM model considers factors such as origin, destination, aircraft type, cabin, seating configuration and average passenger load. Based on these and other factors, the TIM model determines the emissions estimates per cabin class on each flight.
• The TIM model does not currently take into account factors such as the use of sustainable aviation fuel, the direction of travel, or the plane’s cargo weight.
• Flight search results with at least 5% lower emissions than typical for your search have the emissions tag “Below average CO2” on the flight fare information page on which you choose your fare class. Flight search results with 5% higher emissions than typical for your search are labelled as “Above average CO2” and flight search results within 5% lower or higher emissions as typical for your search are labelled as “Average CO2” on the flight fare information page. The average emissions are the typical or median carbon emissions value amongst all the possible carbon emissions per route (considering all dates and flights). The carbon emissions for each search are then compared against this median.
• Note that if you select a cabin class different from the searched-for class, the emissions information will update on the flight details page after you have chosen your fare class. If your route contains multiple flights, the emissions information shown will match the search-for class, even if one of the flights in the search results is in a different class.

Non-CO₂ effects

In addition to CO2 emissions, air travel has other climate effects, such as warming caused by the formation of persistent contrails, or condensation trails. Contrails capture heat in the atmosphere and can be a significant portion of a flight’s environmental footprint.

Future plans for the TIM model incorporate contrails data, which will provide a more comprehensive overview of air travel impact.

Sustainability Practices

On the property pages on Hotels.com, Expedia and Vrbo you can find out what a property is doing to make its practices more sustainable, such as having solar panels, recycling bins and towel reuse programmes. This information is provided by the property and Expedia Group does not independently verify this information.

The list of sustainability practices we display is aligned to the Travalyst Accommodation methodology, read more here.

Plus, we have additional practices that we display on our property listings.

Independent Eco-Certifications  

Independent organizations provide eco-certifications to properties that meet their standards.  We source, from these independent organizations, the lists of properties that they have eco-certified.  Expedia Group does not verify the certification status of the properties. 

All of the certifications we display meet the following criteria, which have been approved by the Travalyst Independent Advisory Group: 

• Third-party audit¹ that includes on-site and/or online assessment (including review of documentation like energy bills, certification from food supply company etc.) of sustainable practices reported by the property. 
• Publicly available standards upon which the certification is based, for example, by having a freely-available survey online that allows new properties to participate in the process of acquiring certification for their sustainability efforts, or a standard available for download or on a website. 
• Focuses on evaluating the sustainability impact of the social and/or economic, and/or environmental factors, among others, as encompassed within but not restricted to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

1 Glossary (GSTC Glossary of Accreditation Terms): 

• Third-party: carried out by an individual or body that is independent of the entity being certified or accredited. 
• Audit: A systematic and comprehensive process of investigation through checking documents, conducting interviews, observation and other means. 

Read more on the Travalyst Accommodation Methodology .

List of eco-certifications we display

• Green Key (Foundation for Environmental Education)
• Green Key Global
• Green Tourism Program
• Travelife
• EarthCheck
• Green Globe
• Biosphere
• Audubon
• Fair Trade Tourism
• Qualmark Sustainable Tourism Business Award

Frequently Asked Questions