There are many markers that define the gap between the rich and the poor: housing, education and employment opportunities being the most well-known. But there is a very significant one that is often overlooked, that being whether someone has ever flown in an aeroplane. At least 80% of the world’s population have never flown in a plane and probably never will. Sometimes that is because they don’t want to fly, but mostly it is because they could never afford the cost of a flight.
Though note that this cartoon is only to point out flying as an inequality marker, it is NOT a call to make flying more equitable. Flying in a plane is environmentally one of the most destructive things that a human can do. A long-haul flight is enough to explode your carbon footprint. A return flight from Paris to New York is equivalent to around 2 tonnes CO2e, which is more than the target carbon budget per person for achieving carbon neutrality.
CARTOON REFERENCE NUMBER: 2025-16