Ritawho
1416
68
5
Just venting
Oct 15, 2024 11:55 AM
Ritawho
1416
68
5
Just venting
Maxgaap
Common carriers (airlines) are exempt from excise tax on aviation fuel. The military and aircraft construction and maintenance firms are exempt from tax for fuel they use. Kerosene used for international flights is exempt from taxation due to the 1944 Chicago Convention. Otherwise users pay a tax. These exemptions are only federal, states and local municipalities may levy a tax. Not defending this set up, just wanted to clarify it.
Bardcrest
Let me try to make something clear as I feel I keep being misunderstood. If the goal is to travel on land a short distance, bus would be great, longer distances, trains, but there comes a point where you can have a zero pollution powered by rainbows and sunshine train and it isn't viable simply due to it needed a track to run on that does not exsist, so we have to use planes. when it comes to meetings yes if these people were serious, virtual meetings would be best.
Bardcrest
I see. Interesting. And what is your proposed alternative. A bunch of people from across the global want to gather in one location and you take issue with using planes. Okay, what is your alternative.
Maxgaap
Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, any one of dozens of virtual meeting platforms.
Zetor
kayak.com, perhaps?
Bardcrest
they do trains? I thought they were for planes and hotels, I legit do not know.
sillyDad
Why do you need to gather? Why not make it a virtual meeting? And if you really must, don't fly in a private jet.
Bardcrest
That is the most sane and valid thing I have heard in a while and I agree. if the goal is simply to talk and come to agreement and not do a much of pointless photo-ops then yeah that is the best way to do it, I agree.
chainmaille
"planes" is not the same thing as "private jets" in the same way a bus is not a private car. The point is using an inordinate amount of fuel and energy to ferry just one or a couple people around instead of diluting that energy use between a hundred plus others.
Bardcrest
Let's use a mass of one ton, I honestly don't know if that is a good amount or not. We have a train it has five cars and the cargo of the train is one ton. I legit question whether the efficency is effected by whether the one ton is people or freight. Same with a plane. The last thing was about flights versus trains. Not private planes versus trains. Sadly trains don't go EVERYWHERE, sometimes in this modern era you need...a plane.
BronyDanza
I'd be fine with destroying the private jets. I suspect most people around the would also be good with this.
Bardcrest
I do understand that you are referring to private planes but as what I said had to do with planes (in general) versus trains (in general) and how it is simply a fact of our reality that planes can get to a lot more places than trains due to infra-structure, I am not sure what to say to you.
Bardcrest
From google: Air cargo transports over US $6 trillion worth of goods, accounting for approximately 35% of world trade by value. You will excuse me if I doubt you would be as fine as you claim if we destroyed all air traffic but it passenger or cargo.
Leaps
They said private jets. Not all planes or air cargo.
iCanSeeTheFnords23
I assume the idea is to use trains *when possible* over planes rather than eliminating planes entirely
Bardcrest
Yes and sometimes using trains falls into the 'not possible' category.
iCanSeeTheFnords23
key word being 'sometimes'
Bardcrest
yes and when we are talking about crossing oceans it is approaches 'always'
Bardcrest
COOL. I tell you what. Let's both meet in Australia. I will take a plane and you just wait for that train to arrive to take you there.
iCanSeeTheFnords23
I mean I would take a plane in that case (fwiw I didn't downvote you, you are not incorrect, just think the point is plane usage should be 'cut down')
Bardcrest
I mean someone pointed out why not just make it a zoom meeting and I agree. If the point is to get stuff done, do the zoom meeting. which has nothing to do with trains. If everyone in the EU wanted to gather in one place and all the world leaders decided to take a TRAIN to get there I would say the same alternative of a zoom meeting is better.
Bardcrest
I mean, yes. But this TO ME is like saying a hammer is not useful for cutting a piece of wood, therefore a hammer is useless. They pointed to a very specific use case, a gathering of people around the world and chastised the use of planes in that specific case. so in that very specific case, what is the alternative to using a plane that they see as viable?