France has banned short-haul flights where people are, in theory, able to get a train instead, in a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Sky News has more.
The ban affects journeys that can be completed by train in less than two-and-a-half hours, ruling out flights between Paris and Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux.
Connecting flights are unaffected by the ban.
The move was originally proposed as a stricter restriction on any journey that could be completed by train in less than four hours.
It was included in 2021 climate legislation but faced fierce opposition from the aviation industry.
The train journey time was reduced to two-and-a-half hours after objections.
The law also specifies that train routes must be frequent and able to meet the needs of passengers who would otherwise fly.
Banning convenience to ‘save the planet’ – get used to it guys, this is just the start if they can get away with it.
Worth reading in full.
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While banning something to tackle climate change remains function-free nonsense in countries which are not large CO2 emittors (like all European ones), I doubt that a journey which takes only two-and-a-half hours by train can be completed (from start to finish, ie, airport – security – boarding – take off – flight – landing – get off – make it out again) by plane in three-and-a-half. Air travel is so overloaded with regulations and procedures (eg, demonstrate use of a life vests for flights crossing the channel — the chances that a plane manages to hit that are zero) that it’s anything but convenient.
I generally agree, loathe flying and prefer trains, but with a short journey like that it probably depends on where you live relative to airports and stations and how close your destination is to airports and stations. Airports are usually easier to drive to and park at than railway stations.
I’m sure Air France’s shareholders are delighted, but then major shareholders are the French and Dutch state. Maybe they lose money on those flights anyway. I expect the airport workers will be delighted. Probably people will decide to drive instead of taking the train.
Yes.
So in response they could go full on anti-car or make the trains better/more convenient. Hmmm. Which will they choose?
Of course, the other option is to start asking: ‘Citizen, your papers? What is the purpose of your journey today?’
Indeed. France seems to have a decent enough network of railways (often high speed) and motorways (though you pay for those). If flying wasn’t better, cheaper, faster for some passengers then nobody would be flying. Capacity is being artificially restricted so logically the price of other options will increase unless they are terribly under utilised already.
I used to do some long-haul journeys for my company. On one flight from Singapore to Sydney the cabin crew gave the usual ’emergency exits are here and here… unlikley event of having to put down on water… life jackets are located… life jacket is equipped with a light which will come on on contact with the water and a whistle for attracting sharks.’. Whut? Many newspapers were lowered and questioning looks exchanged. Did you hear what I heard?
Just greenwash trying to look like they’re doing something
Only public flights. Not private jets. No restrictions for the elite. Because. $cience.
I bet it doesn’t apply to private jets and business travel?
I used to have to visit my company’s Washington DC and New York offices from time to time. Many of our senior managers had done this journey previously and they all used short-haul flights to do the journey. I worked out that taking the train was far quicker (about 3 hrs door to door), cheaper (we weren’t going to fly super-cheap airlines) and more comfortable.
Yes, that’s USA not France – the same principle applies.
The trick is not to ban these flights. Just stop putting obstacles in the way of potentially ‘better’ alternatives.
If Governments really want to ‘Save the Planet’, They should imprison Bill Gates…. No one is safe until everyone is safe!
It would be better surely to blow the Next Tuesday in to Space.
Years ago, many short term flights dropped out of the market in France when the new high speed lines came on – from around 1983, I seem to remember, when the Paris – Lyon route was commissioned.
Calling all fact checkers…
Heavily subsidised, loss-making SNCF is the State owned and run railway. Passenger numbers have been in steady decline across all its routes for more than a decade, and consequently revenues have fallen amid rising costs.
Badly hit by falling passenger numbers are the much vaunted TGV services. Gasp!
Now how can the Government get passenger numbers up on its much celebrated, costly TGV routes?
Let me think.
Which are TGV routes?
Paris – Bordeaux
Paris – Lyons
Paris – Nantes
Soooo…. does the Daily Sceptic Team think the proposed ban is about the non-existent climate change bovine fæces, or a spiffing wheeze to help struggling SNCF?
(Hint: long distance coach services have been heavily restricted for years so as not to compete with the railways.)
They’re switching revenues from one state owned organisation, AF, to another, SNCF. It’s only VS BS
This in a way, shows the stupidity of people in committees deciding how people should live their lives. If the train is fast, frequent and cheap, then people, the market, will move towards it. Of course in the UK, its everything but, and at 2.5 hours, London to anywhere north of Leeds, or west of Bristol is a non-starter…
Remember, a committee is the only form of life with 20 stomachs and no brain.
Wonderful
Forget west of Bristol it’s west of Salisbury, if you’re on the Exeter line. Several stretches of single track rail where you can wait for anything up to 15 minutes for a train coming in the opposite direction to clear the line. And of course that single track is highly vulnerable to disruption whether caused by weather or deliberate targeting.
Or when “signalling” faults stop Exeter Paddington trains at Reading.
Told you they were going for it over here didn’t I. Predictions by official channels of 4’C rise in temperature, and yet people fall for Macaroni’s supposed halt to net zero.. JOKE!
Its a pity a few more French people don’t look above their heads to see what their governments are sanctioning. Disgusting filth sprayed in the skies day after day, and temperature is stifling under the metallic haze.
This taken above my house in Brittany at 10am yesterday 24/05/23
Open up the above photo in another tab and take a look at the whole sky. Full of the toxic filth, and by mid-day it any semblance of blue had gone and it was just murky white/grey with oppressive heat. Great for getting those temps up eh..
Banning flights, restricting car usage (’15-minute cities’ and ‘ultra-low emission zones’), centralising control of railways (‘Great British Railways) or shut them altogether with strike action. It seems a pattern is emerging…
when people in positions of authority tell you the world is going to end if you don’t do exactly what they say , you know you’re being assaulted by a murder suicide death cult , and you should please hang on tight to your wallet
I guess when they try to bring a similar law in the UK they’ll have to stipulate that the train routes don’t have to be frequent or meet the needs of passengers ….. otherwise it will have no effect whatsoever.
Aux barricades mes amis
Less flying, Less Driving, Less Meat, and infact less of everything, will eventually turn into No Flying, No Driving, No Meat and nothing much of anything else.————-The Climate is the excuse for this collectivist political agenda whereby bureaucrats will decide what we can all have. All of our western governments are fully onboard with this Eco Socialism, except the Tump one. ————-Is it any wonder that government are unwilling to tackle the silly protesters blocking roads and gluing themselves to things? Because these people are the governments useful idiots doing the dirty work for them
15 minute cities, WHO trying to take away our sovereignty, “vaccine” injury and death, mask mandates and there was I thinking this is all conspiracy theory.Nah! It’s all a cock up!
Conspiracy theory = Spoiler Alert.
It will never happen in Britain because the rail companies won’t be able to meet the requirement for trains routes to be frequent and able to meet the needs of passengers.
When will this ban become effective? Or is it already effective?
Folks, this is all just posturing from Macron to please the green blob…
The only routes that will be affected by the ban are the three from Paris Orly to Nantes, Bordeaux and Lyon that no longer operate anyway.
So connecting flights are not included in the ban, so the plane will still fly between Bordeaux and Paris, but yo U.K. being be able to buy a seat for just that journey, meaning the plane will be half full. Brilliant.
The difference this will make to worldwide CO2 emissions is so minuscule as to be unrecordable. Top virtue signalling though…