Flying Matters
Encyclopedia
Flying Matters was a pro-aviation coalition in the United Kingdom
. Members included tourist organisations, airlines, aerospace manufacturers, trade associations, airport operators, growers and others. Formed in June 2007, they have issued briefings, press releases, lobbied Members of Parliament and commissioned advertisements. The organisation was wound up at the end of April 2011 following the withdrawal of four founding members including BA, BAA and Virgin Atlantic.
member of parliament
from 1987 to 2005 and Energy Minister at the Department of Trade and Industry from 2001 to 2003. Michelle Di Leo, Director is a public affairs practitioner who has also worked for Airport Operators Association and on the 'Freedom To Fly' campaign in 2003 during the lead up to the Aviation White Paper. Until recently she was a partner in a strategic communications consultancy and has also worked for the National Union of Teachers
and the British Lung Foundation
. The Steering Group consisted of representatives of the major members and was chaired by Toby Nicol, Communications and Corporate Affairs Director at easyJet
, Association of Corporate Travel Executives
, First Choice
, MyTravel
and Thomas Cook
. A number of airlines operators and manufacturers were members including Airbus
, Boeing
, British Airways
, EasyJet
, Flybe
, Monarch
, Rolls Royce
and Virgin Atlantic, as were two airport operators BAA and Manchester Airport. Trade unions included Transport and General Workers Union, Unite - The Union and GMB Union
. In addition to the above Farmers Ownhttp://www.farmersown.com/ (growers) and the Fresh Produce Consortiumhttp://www.freshproduce.org.uk/ (importers), DHL
(freight), Nats
(air traffic control), Macquarie Group
(finance) and Qinetiq
(defence) was also members. A full list was available on their main website.
The first public news of the organisation is released in May in Brand Republic and in Airport News . The organisation was formally launched late in July with the stated aim of showing that the aviation sector was "taking climate change seriously". They accused Inuit
leader of "apocalyptic green spin" at the official enquiry over the expansion of Stansted Airport and respond the Conservative Party policy of limiting aviation growth. and gave their first details off their proposed advertising campaign featuring "No Entry" signs in front of the Taj Mahal and Sydney Opera House
In August BAA, a Flying Matters member, applied for the 'mother of all injunctions' against the Camp for Climate Action
which was to be held near Heathrow airport in August. and won a much reduced injunction and the protest camp arrives close to Heathrow Flying Matters published a number of briefings: "Aviation and Climate Change", "Aviation and Tourism", Aviation and the UK economy, "Aviation and trade with the developing world" and "Aviation and People".
In September Flying Matters attended the UK Party conferences. At the Labour conference they sponsored a fringe meeting entitled "going Green" at which Brian Wilson was "taken to task as he defended the growth of airports and spoke against higher taxes". An aide to Ken Livingston, the Labour Mayor of London, proposed a tax on "frivolous fliers" - Brian Wilson is quoted as saying: "Deeply offensive, I have never heard of a bigger suicide pill politically than curbing frivolous flights."
The Conservative Party proposed increased taxes on flights and cars and Brian Wilson is quoted as saying, "Taxes which increase the cost of flying will simply price working families out of flying".
In the run-up to the Conservative Party conference Flying Matters issued press releases titled "Voters in key marginals shun Conservative proposals for higher taxes on air travel", "'Green' holiday tax plan puts Conservatives 6 per cent behind Labour in 30 most important marginals in the Country" and "US, China and India bear most responsibility for climate change according to new poll"
They contributed to a discussions at the Liberal Democrat Party conference.
In October they issued press releases "Soil Association should not undermine its objectives by potentially damaging producers in the developing world with unrealistic demands" and Brian Wilson is quoted as saying "Unless teleportation becomes viable in the next few years there is no alternative for them (Kenyan farmers) to get their fresh produce to market in time.”. Flying Matters accuse Plane Stupid
of irresponsibility and Plane Stupid accuse Flying Matters of spying
In December Private Eye
reported on a Flying Matters in relation to the Labour Party Conference and Plane Stupid published a copy of a letter sent privately to MPs lobbying on the Climate Change Bill
. Flying Matters issued a press release saying that "Stopping new runways would cost half a million new UK jobs"
and Innocent Drinks
, they had both changed their public policy with regard to air freight. Pret a Manger had previously stated that "We believe airfreighting fruit and veg is completely over the top. It's unnecessary and, with the exception of basil leaves (and in the case of an emergency), we don't do it. At certain times of the year, basil lets us down. We're working hard to find a supplier closer to home." After an approach from the Fresh Produce Consortium and Blue Skies they changed their message to "These are challenging questions with no simple answers. We tackle them, one by one. We listen to the arguments and weigh up the evidence. Fingers crossed, we make the right decisions. For instance, whilst we do not airfreight our fruit and veg, we understand that for many farmers, particularly in developing countries, airfreight is an important way to get goods to market and that those goods contribute a great deal towards social and economic development. It’s a sustainability conundrum". Smoothie manufacturer Innocent has removed all references to airfreight from its website.
In response to a parliamentary vote in October 2008 to approve the Climate Change Bill, committing Britain to slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 and for the first time including aviation and shipping into the bill, Michelle Di Leo, director Flying Matters, said it was a “hollow victory” for environmentalists that was both “ineffective and unfair”.
The organisation was wound up at the end of April 2011 following the withdrawal of BA, BAA, Manchester Airports Group and Virgin Atlantic.
Other groups
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Members included tourist organisations, airlines, aerospace manufacturers, trade associations, airport operators, growers and others. Formed in June 2007, they have issued briefings, press releases, lobbied Members of Parliament and commissioned advertisements. The organisation was wound up at the end of April 2011 following the withdrawal of four founding members including BA, BAA and Virgin Atlantic.
Staff
Brian Wilson, Chairman was frequently quoted in the press representing Flying Matters. He was a Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
member of parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
from 1987 to 2005 and Energy Minister at the Department of Trade and Industry from 2001 to 2003. Michelle Di Leo, Director is a public affairs practitioner who has also worked for Airport Operators Association and on the 'Freedom To Fly' campaign in 2003 during the lead up to the Aviation White Paper. Until recently she was a partner in a strategic communications consultancy and has also worked for the National Union of Teachers
National Union of Teachers
The National Union of Teachers is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress...
and the British Lung Foundation
British Lung Foundation
The British Lung Foundation is a British charity dedicated to promoting lung health and supporting those affected by lung disease.- About the British Lung Foundation :...
. The Steering Group consisted of representatives of the major members and was chaired by Toby Nicol, Communications and Corporate Affairs Director at easyJet
EasyJet
EasyJet Airline Company Limited is a British airline headquartered at London Luton Airport. It carries more passengers than any other United Kingdom-based airline, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 500 routes between 118 European, North African, and West Asian airports...
Members
The Flying Matters coalition included trade associations such as the Airport Operators Association, Air Transport Users Councilhttp://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=306, British Air Transport Associationhttp://www.bata.uk.com/Web/Default.aspx, Society of British Aerospace Companieshttp://www.sbac.co.uk/ and Tourism Alliancehttp://www.tourismalliance.com/. Tourism bodies and travel agents were also well represented with members including Association of British Travel AgentsAssociation of British Travel Agents
-History:Previously known as Association of British Travel Agents, its name was changed on 1 July 2007 to ABTA, The Travel Association to reflect its wider representation of the travel industry.On 1 July 2008 it merged with the Federation of Tour Operators ....
, Association of Corporate Travel Executives
Association of Corporate Travel Executives
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives is a not-for-profit professional association of business travel stakeholders throughout the world. The ACTE purpose is to advance the interests of the corporate business travel industry, to promote industry networking opportunities and to educate...
, First Choice
First Choice (travel firm)
First Choice is a brand name used by TUI Travel PLC to sell package holidays in the United Kingdom.The brand is also the name of a chain of travel agents that are part of the same group....
, MyTravel
MyTravel Group PLC
This article contains historical information about My Travel until its merger with Thomas Cook AG - for the new company see - Thomas Cook GroupMyTravel Group PLC was a package holiday company based in the United Kingdom...
and Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook of Melbourne, Derbyshire, England founded the travel agency that is now Thomas Cook Group.- Early days :...
. A number of airlines operators and manufacturers were members including Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
, British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, EasyJet
EasyJet
EasyJet Airline Company Limited is a British airline headquartered at London Luton Airport. It carries more passengers than any other United Kingdom-based airline, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 500 routes between 118 European, North African, and West Asian airports...
, Flybe
Flybe
Flybe Group PLC is a British low-cost regional airline headquartered at the Jack Walker House at Exeter International Airport in Devon, England...
, Monarch
Monarch Airlines
Monarch Airlines, often shortened to and trading as Monarch, is a British charter and scheduled airline based at London Luton Airport in Luton. It is one of the United Kingdom's largest charter airlines, operating to Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, India and Africa, serving mainly leisure...
, Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
and Virgin Atlantic, as were two airport operators BAA and Manchester Airport. Trade unions included Transport and General Workers Union, Unite - The Union and GMB Union
GMB Union
The GMB is a general trade union in the United Kingdom, and has more than 600,000 members. Its members are drawn from many sectors, with particular strength amongst manual workers in local government and the health service...
. In addition to the above Farmers Ownhttp://www.farmersown.com/ (growers) and the Fresh Produce Consortiumhttp://www.freshproduce.org.uk/ (importers), DHL
DHL
DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
(freight), Nats
National Air Traffic Services
NATS Ltd. is the main air navigation service provider in the United Kingdom. It provides en-route air traffic control services to flights within the UK Flight Information Regions and the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area, and provides air traffic control services to fifteen UK airports and Gibraltar...
(air traffic control), Macquarie Group
Macquarie Group
Macquarie Group Limited is a global investment banking and diversified financial services group, providing banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services to institutional, corporate and retail clients and counterparties around the world...
(finance) and Qinetiq
QinetiQ
Qinetiq is a British global defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...
(defence) was also members. A full list was available on their main website.
2007
The organisation was formed early in 2007 and was very busy during the year. They commissioned various polls and attended the party conferences arguing that in particular that the conservatives position on aviation (to limit aviation growth) would lose them votes. They lobbied against restrictions of airport growth generally and were frequently quoted in the press.The first public news of the organisation is released in May in Brand Republic and in Airport News . The organisation was formally launched late in July with the stated aim of showing that the aviation sector was "taking climate change seriously". They accused Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
leader of "apocalyptic green spin" at the official enquiry over the expansion of Stansted Airport and respond the Conservative Party policy of limiting aviation growth. and gave their first details off their proposed advertising campaign featuring "No Entry" signs in front of the Taj Mahal and Sydney Opera House
In August BAA, a Flying Matters member, applied for the 'mother of all injunctions' against the Camp for Climate Action
Camp for Climate Action
The Camps for Climate Action are campaign gatherings that take place to draw attention to, and act as a base for direct action against, major carbon emitters, as well as to develop ways to create a zero-carbon society...
which was to be held near Heathrow airport in August. and won a much reduced injunction and the protest camp arrives close to Heathrow Flying Matters published a number of briefings: "Aviation and Climate Change", "Aviation and Tourism", Aviation and the UK economy, "Aviation and trade with the developing world" and "Aviation and People".
In September Flying Matters attended the UK Party conferences. At the Labour conference they sponsored a fringe meeting entitled "going Green" at which Brian Wilson was "taken to task as he defended the growth of airports and spoke against higher taxes". An aide to Ken Livingston, the Labour Mayor of London, proposed a tax on "frivolous fliers" - Brian Wilson is quoted as saying: "Deeply offensive, I have never heard of a bigger suicide pill politically than curbing frivolous flights."
The Conservative Party proposed increased taxes on flights and cars and Brian Wilson is quoted as saying, "Taxes which increase the cost of flying will simply price working families out of flying".
In the run-up to the Conservative Party conference Flying Matters issued press releases titled "Voters in key marginals shun Conservative proposals for higher taxes on air travel", "'Green' holiday tax plan puts Conservatives 6 per cent behind Labour in 30 most important marginals in the Country" and "US, China and India bear most responsibility for climate change according to new poll"
They contributed to a discussions at the Liberal Democrat Party conference.
In October they issued press releases "Soil Association should not undermine its objectives by potentially damaging producers in the developing world with unrealistic demands" and Brian Wilson is quoted as saying "Unless teleportation becomes viable in the next few years there is no alternative for them (Kenyan farmers) to get their fresh produce to market in time.”. Flying Matters accuse Plane Stupid
Plane Stupid
Plane Stupid is a UK-focused group of environmental protesters who state their aim as wanting to see an end to airport expansion for what it sees as "unnecessary and unsustainable" flights. The organisation has no formal hierarchy, leader, or media figurehead. It is a loose association of...
of irresponsibility and Plane Stupid accuse Flying Matters of spying
In December Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
reported on a Flying Matters in relation to the Labour Party Conference and Plane Stupid published a copy of a letter sent privately to MPs lobbying on the Climate Change Bill
United Kingdom Climate Change Bill
The Climate Change Act 2008 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act makes it the duty of the Secretary of State to ensure that the net UK carbon account for all six Kyoto greenhouse gases for the year 2050 is at least 80% lower than the 1990 baseline, toward avoiding dangerous...
. Flying Matters issued a press release saying that "Stopping new runways would cost half a million new UK jobs"
2008-2011
In October 2008 they announced that after discussion with Pret a MangerPret A Manger
Pret a Manger is a British sandwich retail chain based in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. The name "Pret a Manger" comes from the French prêt à manger, meaning "ready to eat", a reference to prêt-à-porter .The company was founded in London in 1986 by friends Sinclair Beecham and...
and Innocent Drinks
Innocent Drinks
Innocent Drinks is a UK-based company founded in 1999 whose primary business is producing smoothies and flavoured spring water, sold in supermarkets, coffee shops and various other outlets nationally as well as in Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland...
, they had both changed their public policy with regard to air freight. Pret a Manger had previously stated that "We believe airfreighting fruit and veg is completely over the top. It's unnecessary and, with the exception of basil leaves (and in the case of an emergency), we don't do it. At certain times of the year, basil lets us down. We're working hard to find a supplier closer to home." After an approach from the Fresh Produce Consortium and Blue Skies they changed their message to "These are challenging questions with no simple answers. We tackle them, one by one. We listen to the arguments and weigh up the evidence. Fingers crossed, we make the right decisions. For instance, whilst we do not airfreight our fruit and veg, we understand that for many farmers, particularly in developing countries, airfreight is an important way to get goods to market and that those goods contribute a great deal towards social and economic development. It’s a sustainability conundrum". Smoothie manufacturer Innocent has removed all references to airfreight from its website.
In response to a parliamentary vote in October 2008 to approve the Climate Change Bill, committing Britain to slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 and for the first time including aviation and shipping into the bill, Michelle Di Leo, director Flying Matters, said it was a “hollow victory” for environmentalists that was both “ineffective and unfair”.
The organisation was wound up at the end of April 2011 following the withdrawal of BA, BAA, Manchester Airports Group and Virgin Atlantic.
See also
- Aviation and the environmentAviation and the environmentThe environmental impact of aviation occurs because aircraft engines emit noise, particulates, and gases which contribute to climate change and global dimming...
- Aviation Environment FederationAviation Environment FederationThe Aviation Environment Federation is the principal UK non-profit making organisation concerned with the environmental effects of aviation. These range from aviation noise issues associated with small airstrips or helipads to the contribution of airline emissions to global warming...
, the principal UK non-profit making organisation concerned with the environmental effects of aviation - Plane StupidPlane StupidPlane Stupid is a UK-focused group of environmental protesters who state their aim as wanting to see an end to airport expansion for what it sees as "unnecessary and unsustainable" flights. The organisation has no formal hierarchy, leader, or media figurehead. It is a loose association of...
, a UK focused non-violent direct action group - Air transport and the environment (United Kingdom)Air transport and the environment (United Kingdom)The environmental impact of aviation in the United Kingdom is increasing due to the increasing demand for air travel in the country. In the past 25 years the UK air transport industry has seen sustained growth, and the demand for passenger air travel in particular is forecast to increase more than...
External links
Other groups