Flight emissions calculator for business travel
Enter two airport codes. You get the estimated CO₂e per passenger for every cabin, with the method in full, so the number can go into a travel report and be explained.
Three-letter airport codes, like JFK, ORD or LHR.
New York (JFK) to London (LHR) and back
5,540 km (3,442 miles) each way, the shortest distance between the two airports. Treated as a long-haul flight to or from the UK.
| Cabin | kg CO₂e per passenger | Without radiative forcing |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | 1,297 | 767 |
| Premium economy | 2,075 | 1,228 |
| Business | 3,761 | 2,225 |
| First | 5,187 | 3,069 |
A business seat on this flight is estimated at 2.9 times the emissions of an economy seat, because it takes more of the aircraft.
How the estimate is made
- Distance. The great-circle distance between the two airports, from their published coordinates. A connection adds distance, so a trip with stops emits more than the nonstop figure.
- Factor. The UK government's 2025 greenhouse gas conversion factors for business travel by air (DESNZ), per passenger-kilometre, by cabin. They already add 8% to the great-circle distance for routing and holding, so it is not added again here.
- Which factor. DESNZ publishes factors for flights within the UK, short-haul and long-haul flights to or from the UK, and flights that do not touch the UK. US domestic and most international flights are in that last group.
- Radiative forcing. The headline figure includes the non-CO₂ warming effects of flying at altitude (contrails and nitrogen oxides). DESNZ publishes factors with and without them, and reporting standards differ on which to use, so both are shown.
- Cabin. Premium seats take more space on the aircraft, so they carry more of its emissions. Where DESNZ publishes no factor for a cabin on a type of flight, the nearest one is used and the table says so.
These are estimates for one passenger. They do not know the actual aircraft, how full it was, or the route flown. Some US companies report with the US Environmental Protection Agency's emission factors instead, which give different numbers; use one method consistently across a report.
The same method in TripDesk365
TripDesk365 shows this estimate on each booking's flights and adds it up per client, cost centre or booking field, such as a project, a grant or a production, in its emissions report, so a travel manager can report a period's flights with the method attached. See reporting and CO₂e.
Factors: UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2025, Open Government Licence v3.0. Airport coordinates: OurAirports (public domain).
Emissions for every trip, not just one
TripDesk365 estimates CO₂e for each flight it holds and reports it per client, cost centre or booking field, with the method stated.