People have diverging opinions about the cost of air travel and its influences. While some argue that flights should be made more affordable for the middle and working classes to enjoy more trips regardless of geographical barriers, others believe that their environmental toll justifies a cost hike in air travel. This essay will discuss both sides and explain why I side with the latter.
On the one hand, advocates of cheap flights point to the greater access to travel for the masses as their main argument. Decades ago when air travel remained exorbitant, this was the option reserved for a select few, so were the opportunities to travel to different places, same different cultures, study abroad and broaden the horizons. Nowadays, thanks to economical flights, a large percentage of the public can enjoy that privilege. In this way, cheap air travel indirectly contributes to narrowing the gap between the haves and the have-nots.
On the other hand, many argue that affordable flights can worsen existing environmental issues, which necessitates a rise in flight tickets. It is irrefutable that airplanes are one of the major sources of greenhouse gases, which not only contaminates the air but also drives unpredictable climate patterns. Given the dire straits of more frequent occurrences of natural disasters and extreme weather events, increased airfares and the resulting decline in the number of flights can significantly alleviate this issue.
Considering all pros and cons of air travel, I would contend that air travel should be more expensive. This is because no matter how low-cost flights are, international trips are exorbitantly expensive and accessible to a handful of elites as they are. Therefore, cheap air travel fails to make a noticeable difference, but worsens air pollution and global warming, which already manifest themselves in many countries. In fact, heatwaves, landslides and storms have happened at an unprecedented rate and claimed more lives than ever. This prompts concerted efforts to curb the climate change, including making air travel less affordable for all.
In conclusion, while some opine that trips made by airplanes should be kept cheap and economical for the majority to travel beyond their homes and their countries, I think the popularity of air travel exacerbates climate change and, therefore, it should be discouraged.