Most calculators ask for the seating class, but why does this matter? Doesn't the plane emit the same amount of CO2 regardless? While that's true, a passenger who upgrades from economy to business increases the fraction of the total emissions that they are responsible for.
Imagine: were a whole plane to be filled with economy seats, it could fit some maximum number of passengers. One of the many passengers is responsible for only a small fraction of the total emissions. Fill the same plane with first class seats and the capacity is much reduced. The same total emissions are divided by a only a few passengers, so each one is responsible for a much larger fraction. (It's an approximation that the total emissions stay the same. Changing the type of seat, number of seats, and number of passengers will slightly change the weight of the plane.)
The two tables below show the effect of changing the seating class for long- and short-haul flights in several different calculators. The absolute amounts of emissions aren't important here, neither are the units, nor the RF factor. What's interesting is the difference between economy, business, first.
A clear set of common factors emerges:
These factors feature in the UK government's greenhouse gas conversion factors, and are an average over all cabin layouts of all airlines. With more information (guessed or given) on the airline and/or aircraft, a more accurate factor could be calculated.
| Calculator | Economy | PremiumE (xE) | Business (xE) | First (xE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| atmosfair | 5.306 | 6.765 (1.3) | 9.948 (1.9) | 13.264 (2.5) |
| brighterplanet | 2930.64 | 4688.14 (1.6) | 8497.12 (2.9) | 11721.75 (4.0) |
| carbonfootprint | 1.32 | 2.12 (1.6) | 3.84 (2.9) | 5.29 (4.0) |
| carbonneutral | 5.28 | 8.45 (1.6) | 15.32 (2.9) | 21.14 (4.0) |
| chooseclimate | 1997 | 2981 (1.5) | ||
| clevel | 2.89 | 2.89 (1.0) | 4.33 (1.5) | 4.33 (1.5) |
| climatecare | 2.71 | 4.33 (1.6) | 7.85 (2.9) | 10.82 (4.0) |
| climatepartner | 4.156 | 7.793 (1.9) | 10.390 (2.5) | |
| co2nsensus | 2.7290 | 7.915 (2.9) | 10.917 (4.0) | |
| flygrn | 2.71 | 7.85 (2.9) | 10.82 (4.0) | |
| greentripper | 2.18 | 3.45 (1.6) | 4.73 (2.2) | 7.15 (3.3) |
| icao | 0.7991 | 1.598 (2.0) | 1.598 (2.0) | |
| myclimate | 3.0 | 5.7 (1.9) | 8.8 (2.9) | |
| myclimate lufthansa | 1.2 | 1.7 (1.4) | 2.6 (2.2) | 3.8 (3.2) |
| myclimate swiss | 1.2 | 2.6 (2.2) | 3.8 (3.2) | |
| offsetters | 2.93 | 8.49 (2.9) | 11.72 (4.0) | |
| southpole | 3.266 | 5.226 (1.6) | 9.471 (2.9) | 13.064 (4.0) |
| Calculator | Economy | PremiumE (xE) | Business (xE) | First (xE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| atmosfair | 331 | 422 (1.3) | 621 (1.9) | 828 (2.5) |
| brighterplanet | 480.33 | 503.92 (1.1) | 720.25 (1.5) | 720.25 (1.5) |
| carbonfootprint | 0.13 | 0.13 (1.0) | 0.2 (1.5) | 0.2 (1.5) |
| carbonneutral | 0.23 | 0.23 (1.0) | 0.23 (1.0) | 0.23 (1.0) |
| chooseclimate | 305 | 455 (1.5) | ||
| clevel | 0.25 | 0.25 (1.0) | 0.38 (1.5) | 0.38 (1.5) |
| climatecare | 0.25 | 0.25 (1.0) | 0.37 (1.5) | 0.37 (1.5) |
| climatepartner | 383 | 719 (1.9) | 959 (2.5) | |
| co2nsensus | 249 | 374 (1.5) | 374 (1.5) | |
| flygrn | 0.25 | 0.37 (1.5) | 0.94 (3.8) | |
| greentripper | 0.27 | 0.43 (1.6) | 0.59 (2.2) | 0.89 (3.3) |
| icao | 190.2 | 190.2 (1.0) | 190.2 (1.0) | |
| myclimate | 0.372 | 0.480 (1.3) | 0.893 (2.4) | |
| myclimate lufthansa | 0.179 | 0.209 (1.2) | 0.235 (1.3) | 0.475 (2.7) |
| myclimate swiss | 0.179 | 0.235 (1.3) | 0.475 (2.7) | |
| offsetters | 0.25 | 0.38 (1.5) | 0.38 (1.5) | |
| southpole | 0.279 | 0.279 (1.0) | 0.419 (1.5) | 0.419 (1.5) |
Calculators accessed 2020-02-25.