Avianca Airlines flight offsetting

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint represents the total amount of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions that are released into the atmosphere and that is generated directly or indirectly by a person, group, organization, company, product, or service during a given period. The importance of knowing the carbon footprint we generate lies in becoming aware of it, establishing measures, and developing initiatives to reduce it as much as possible, starting in our daily activities and contributing to a more sustainable world.

What are carbon offsets and carbon credits?

A carbon offset is the voluntary contribution of an economic amount, proportional to the tons of CO2 emitted by a person and/or company in the development of an activity. This contribution is destined to environmental projects, for example, tree planting, which reduces, captures, or avoids greenhouse gas emissions, in addition, these initiatives contribute to improving the quality of life of the communities where they are developed, generating jobs. Emission reductions must be previously verified and/or certified as carbon credits. A carbon credit or Emission Reduction Certificate is equivalent to one ton of CO2 that is no longer emitted into the atmosphere. These certifications or verifications are issued by independent carbon certification bodies, once a project has demonstrated that it has reduced, avoided, or captured carbon emissions. Each emission reduction must meet certain basic principles to be considered a carbon offset: be additional, be measurable and auditable, be permanent, and be unique.

Will the environmental contribution I make have an impact on the cost of my ticket?

No, the carbon footprint offset is independent of the cost of the ticket.

Can everyone who flies with Avianca make this contribution?

Yes, everyone who buys a ticket to fly with Avianca can access the link to offset the emissions of their flight.

What is the maximum and minimum amount I can contribute?

Currently, the customer can offset the exact amount corresponding to their carbon footprint (no more and no less). Carbon offsetting is not positioned as a "donation", but as a compensation related to the specific footprint for the flights performed.

Are there any restrictions, rules, or timelines that I must take into account for my contribution to be taken into account?

No. You can enter the platform at any time and make a contribution or purchase the emissions generated, there are no time limitations. The transaction process takes less than 10 minutes.

If I have any technical problem with the operation of the platform or the reception of my contribution, who can I cont

Clients can contact us at avianca-support@chooose.today and we will respond within two (2) business days.

Will I have any benefit from participating in this initiative?

The benefit is to advance faster in the care of the environment. By joining this invitation you can contribute with actions to reduce and mitigate the environmental impact.

Why is my contribution to this type of project important?

Offsetting our carbon footprint is a way to contribute to the care of our planet. With your contribution, you support verified and certified projects that have a positive impact on the environment and society through the conservation, restoration, and protection of strategic ecosystems that capture carbon, contributing to the mitigation of climate change.

How do I know which project my investment is going to?

When organizations offset their carbon footprint, the funds paid are used to support projects that reduce, capture, or avoid greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by an amount equivalent to their calculated carbon footprint. The funds paid are dedicated to the purchase and cancellation of carbon offsets certified by third parties. The carbon offsets available on the platform are voluntary emission reduction (VER) units, certified by several credible and internationally recognized carbon certification standards (such as VCS, Gold Standard, American Carbon Registry, and Climate Action Reserve), as well as certified emissions (Certified Emission Reduction Units (CER) certified by the United Nations). In the case of Avianca, the following projects have been initially selected in Latin America.

What is the environmental impact that Avianca generates with its operation?

The main environmental impact of the airline industry is the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the burning of fuel in aircraft flight operations. To mitigate this, Avianca has implemented strategies to efficiently consume the fuel used in operations, such as fleet modernization and reconfiguration, among others. In addition, in Colombia, Avianca offsets emissions from its domestic flights.

What other actions does Avianca carry out in environmental management that I can support?

The airline is carrying out several initiatives that contribute to the mitigation of climate change and care for the environment, among them: • Reconfiguration of the interior of the aircraft to offer a greater number of seats per aircraft and to be more efficient when flying, achieving a reduction in CO2 emissions for each customer transported. • Participation in the Colombian Government's Carbon Neutrality Program, in which we joined the country's commitments in its long-term strategy on climate change E2050. Our Environmental Management System is certified under the international ISO 14001: 2015 standard, demonstrating to our customers and other stakeholders Avianca's commitment to continuously improving the organization's environmental performance. We send the non-hazardous-conventional waste generated in our operation to recycling processes. In this way, their life cycle is extended and they are transformed into raw material for other production processes, positively impacting the social and economic aspects of the cooperatives, associations, or foundations that support us in these procedures. We also valorize the hazardous waste generated in our activities through energy recovery and oil and fuel refining processes. These initiatives are just some of the actions Avianca takes to continuously improve its environmental performance both on the ground and in the air. Even so, as an Avianca customer you can help reduce your environmental impact by taking into account the following tips: • Check in Online, so you can have your boarding pass digitally and it will not be necessary to print it, avoiding paper consumption. • Deposit correctly the waste you generated in the bins located at the airports, this will help more waste can go to recycling processes. • Bring your reusable water bottle, which you can refill with drinking water at the points established for this purpose, once you pass the security filters. This way you will avoid buying plastic water bottles. • Travel with the necessary luggage because when you carry extra luggage, the plane must carry more weight and will consume more fuel during the trip. In addition, carrying only what is necessary for your trip will be much more practical. • Offset the carbon footprint of your trip through the purchase of carbon credits, thus contributing money to a project that is reducing or avoiding the generation of emissions and contributing to the improvement of the living conditions of the communities where they are developed.

With my contribution, does Avianca no longer have to compensate for the environmental impact of air transport?

No, Avianca continues to offset its emissions in Colombia and implement strategies to ensure efficient fuel consumption in its operations. However, we want to involve our customers in our important mission to care for the environment. If you join our efforts, together we can do more!

Is Avianca shifting the responsibility to the customer?

No, Avianca continues with the firm conviction of its responsibility to implement actions that lead to the reduction and mitigation of environmental impact. The idea of involving our customers is to join efforts and thus be able to make faster progress in caring for the environment.

Who is Avianca's climate partner, Chooose?

This service is hosted by climate tech company Chooose™. Chooose delivers a platform that enables both individuals and organizations to understand their carbon emissions, make more carbon-informed decisions, and support certified climate solutions around the world. For more information, please visit

Can carbon offsetting really address climate change?

Science is clear: an amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions emitted in one place has the same global warming potential as the same amount of GHG emissions emitted anywhere else in the world. This effect also applies to any amount of GHG emissions that are reduced or avoided on the planet. Climate change is occurring due to the increasing concentration of GHG emissions in the atmosphere and it is of utmost importance to reduce the rate at which emissions enter the atmosphere. One way to do this is to support modern, low-carbon project activities that replace traditional, high-emission alternative activities. In many sectors and countries, these low-carbon activities face several barriers to their realization. Therefore, they are allowed to sell carbon offsets, which make their projects viable and reduce emissions with their activity. By offsetting its carbon emissions, an organization is outsourcing emissions reductions and mitigating climate change by supporting projects with positive environmental impacts globally.

How do I know the impact would not have occurred without my contribution?

Emission reductions that are enabled by project activities and certified by a credible carbon certification body must meet the principle of "additionality" to materialize and be monetized as carbon offsets. This means that projects are being implemented as a result of (expected) revenues from the sale of carbon offsets, which allows project developers to overcome the difficulties they face. In other words, organizations are not supporting a project that would have gone ahead anyway. Carbon offsets are funding additional carbon mitigation. Often, projects are not economically attractive to investors without the sale of these carbon offsets and therefore would not materialize. The principle of "additionality" is verified by external auditors and the respective carbon certification body at the start of the project.

What does Avianca do to promote sustainability?

Avianca has a sustainability strategy that not only ensures that its objectives respond to the challenges and internal commitments we have as a company but, above all, that these objectives are ambitious but achievable and have a real impact, prioritizing that the relationship between the company and the community is reliable, close, transparent and timely. We achieve this through relationships and cooperation with different organizations that allow us to meet shared goals and objectives in the promotion of social and environmental development and the construction of citizenship in the region. Some of our commitments are: 1. We are adherents to the United Nations Global Compact, the most important initiative in the world in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting. 2. We align ourselves with the United Nations (UN) International Human Rights agenda and the International Labor Organization's (ILO) global Decent Work agenda. 3. We measure our impact aligned to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 4. We are committed to inclusion, work, and opportunities for people with disabilities, signing the pact for disability in Colombia and our ally Best Buddies Colombia. 5. We have advanced in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) evaluation, maintaining a B management level, being the best qualified Latin American airline in this measurement.

In case I have contributed and my flight is canceled, how will the return of my money be handled?

The contribution you make to compensate for your flight's carbon emissions is voluntary and at the moment you do it, the purchase is made in one of the projects that issue the certificates or carbon credits, which is why this purchase is not refundable, whether or not you make the flight or flights that you compensated.

Where can I go to request reimbursement for my contribution? What process should I follow to make this request?

Once the compensation of the kg of CO2 calculated for the selected routes has been made, the money cannot be refunded.

What profit is Avianca making with this project?

Avianca does not generate any income or economic gain with this project, the contribution made by customers goes directly to projects in Latin America that reduce, capture, or avoid greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Will I receive a certificate for my contribution?

At the time of purchase, you will receive a receipt to the email you registered confirming your contribution.