I'm former commercial pilot who stopped flying after learning the realities of aviation and climate change. Haven't flown once in 2025. AMA

I'm former commercial pilot who stopped flying after learning the realities of aviation and climate change. Haven't flown once in 2025. AMA

Hi, I’m Katie. I spent years flying commercially and loved it with all my heart. Then did something slightly unhinged by industry standards: I quit flying, went back to school for an MSc in sustainable aviation. Now I spend my time explaining all the ways that flying and climate change tie together, how the aviation industry is 'greenwashing' us and what we can do as concerned passengers. I also took a 2025 pledge not to fly and have not taken a single flight this year. I am very passionate about this topic and am running a small project called Bumprints.org that talks about aviation in context of the climate crisis, the ways in which we are being misled by the airlines, and the better ways to fly if you have to. I still love airplanes but I'm very aware of the environmental cost of flying and want more people to understand that if you fly, it is not your footprint that is your biggest contribution to global heating, rather it is what I call your 'bumprints' (The climate impact of sitting on an airplane). Stuff you can ask me about: - How to minimize the environmental impact of every flight. - What turbulence is, and if it’s really getting worse - How climate change is making flying more complicated. - How bad flying really is for the climate (per flight, per person, short vs long-haul, GA vs commercial, etc.) - Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF): what’s real, what’s hype. - Will aviation meet its Net Zero promises? - Industry lobbying and greenwashing. - How to talk to friends/family/passengers about flying without shaming them - Why I stopped flying myself and started travelling overland ... and more Not here to sell anything, not speaking for any airline; just answering from both sides of my life. You can pick my cockpit brain or my climate brain. I’m here for the next 2 hours to answer your questions live and may come back later to pick up anything I missed. AMA AMA Katie Thompson, Aviation and Climate Change, Bumprints.org submitted by /u/Secret_Joke1379 [link] [comments]