What Makes Flying (Ir)replaceable

Bibliographic Data

ID17750363
AuthorsGideon Frey (0009-0008-0656-3206, Erasmus University Rotterdam, corresponding author)
Year2026
Publication date2026-01-14
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Ethics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1382-4554 • E-ISSN: 1572-8609
PublisherSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s10892-025-09548-2
OpenAlexW7124151653
LanguageEN
References cited24

Flying is deeply valuable for travelers. Yet unlike other environmentally destructive choices, there are no obvious sustainable alternatives for long distances. In this paper I ask whether, and in what sense, long-distance leisure travel (LDLT) is (ir)replaceable. I first argue that in standard accounts of well-being it is hard to show why LDLT could not be replaced by more local goods. Outside of a few exceptions, LDLT could largely be replaced. I next argue that if anything makes LDLT irreplaceably valuable it is this: it allows us to understand ourselves in our proper global context. I lastly explore the role that non-flying modes of transport can play in LDLT and show how we might evaluate slower forms of transport that can still enable LDLT

Ask price · Sustainable development · Sustainable transport · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management · Urban Transport and Accessibility

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