The “carbon dioxide indulgence trade” offered by Lufthansa under the Compensaid brand is evidently proving to be a real blow job that is not used by more than 99 percent of passengers.

Some time ago, the Kranich Group got into the business of “carbon dioxide indulgences” in order to be able to give passengers who want to donate to environmental projects or bio-kerosene an opportunity to compensate during their flight. In the German media, terms such as alleged flight shame and similar customer behavior that deviates from reality are mentioned again and again.

A Lufthansa spokesman confirmed to “Welt am Sonntag” that less than one percent of customers donate to environmental projects through Compensaid. CEO Carsten Spohr said in 2019 that the usage would be so low that he could greet the donors with a handshake. Obviously, interest has not changed significantly since then.

Various platforms, including the Kranich subsidiary Compensaid, enable a kind of “indulgence trade”. Passengers are offered the opportunity to offset the carbon dioxide emissions caused by their flight with a donation for environmental projects. However, this option is rarely used and that “Greenwashing” of a German ticket seller confidence in serious projects may not have exactly strengthened.

Lufthansa emphasizes, however, that there is growing interest in compensation among corporate customers. This could also be related to the fact that more and more companies want to give themselves a green image. Private travelers seem to care little about the environmental impact of their flights.