Microsoft Partners Alaska Airlines To Make Business Air Travel Greener

(RTTNews) - Microsoft is in agreement with Alaska Airlines to enable flying more sustainably on three most popular routes traveled by Microsoft employees on Alaska Airlines, which uses sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The SAF, supplied by SkyNRG, is an important option for the aviation industry to reduce carbon (CO2) emissions on a life-cycle basis.

The partnership applies to Microsoft employees traveling between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to San Francisco International Airport, San Jose International Airport, and Los Angeles International Airport. The move is expected to reduce the carbon impact of the flights Microsoft employees fly most.

The partnership is touted as a significant milestone towards making SAF a commercially-viable aviation fuel alternative and to create a stable demand to increase supply and reduce the cost of SAF.

Instead of being refined from petroleum, SAF is generally produced from sustainable resources, like waste oils and agricultural residues. SkyNRG is claimed to be the pioneer and global leader for sustainable aviation fuel.

The SAF supplied by SkyNRG under this agreement is produced in the U.S. by World Energy using waste oils and delivers a carbon reduction of approximately 75 percent compared with fossil jet fuel.

According to the agreement, Microsoft will purchase SAF credits from SkyNRG, and the SAF will be delivered to the airport fueling system used by Alaska Airlines.

Microsoft has already committed to be carbon negative by 2030 and remove from the environment more carbon than they have emitted since its founding by 2050.

Microsoft, Alaska Airlines and SkyNRG are also supporting the development of a global environmental accounting standard for voluntary corporate SAF purchases through their participation in a pilot project of the World Economic Forum's Clean Skies for Tomorrow initiative.

Alaska Airlines is one of the most fuel-efficient airlines in the U.S. with a strong commitment to sustainability. It was among the first airlines to use SAF in passenger travel, flying nearly 80 flights over the past decade, to reduce its intensity target of greenhouse gas emissions by 16 percent since 2012.