Before the pandemic, some environmental activists were calling out the public at large and prominent figures as well for using planes when greener transport or staying home would have worked.
It seems to be having a revival with barbs aimed mainly at high-ranking political figures in both the U.S. and UK, and in particular at two women, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Truss is not the only British official who’s felt the lash, but it has struck out at her twice in the past couple of months.
Truss was criticized for using a government airliner to fly to Australia for meetings at a cost of about half a million pounds, rather than using commercial flights. Truss bit back, saying such flights were the purpose of the plane, and allowed the entire delegation to fly and work together without security issues. While that may make sense, it seemed unlikely to mollify complaints that she used the plane again to fly to Brussels, usually a train ride away.
Ocasio Cortez caught flak not for flying on a private flight, but for buying an upgrade to first class on an American Airlines flight from Austin, Texas to New York. The criticism there seems less ‘green’ focused than an issue of red vs blue, with conservative commentators making fun of her not sitting in coach, as they claim her politics dictate.
Image: UK Foreign Secretary Truss’s flight to Brussels
