A customer is sitting at the counter of a travel agency in Zurich and is planning her vacation with travel consultant Annika. Sun, sea, maybe a round trip. At the end of the meeting, another question arises: “Would you like to learn about ways to reduce your carbon footprint when flying?”

Contributing to future CO₂ emissions savings

At Hotelplan, more sustainable travel begins with dialogue.

As a tour operator, they have the greatest ecological impact on their customers' air travel—and this is exactly where they come in. “Our goal is to enable more sustainable offerings such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), to promote technologies for more responsible travel, and to provide our customers with transparent information,” explains Desirée Schlanke, branch manager of Hotelplan Uster.

During the consultation, they explain what SAF is, how the contribution works, and where its limitations lie. The technology becomes tangible. Not as an all-encompassing solution, but as a currently promising lever for reducing the climate impact of air travel.

Customers can make a contribution directly when booking their trip, both online and at the travel agency. The individually selectable amount is shown in the offer and goes directly into the production and further development of more sustainable aviation fuels.

Since its introduction in 2023, one in three flights booked in their branches already includes a SAF contribution. Many travelers ask specifically about this. They want to know what their contribution is used for and what effect it has.

The opening scene in the travel agency shows that transparency creates trust. And trust inspires action.

 

Imbach Reisen and Vögele Reisen have chosen a different but equally effective approach. CEO Martin Fehrlin believes it is important to “take direct action”.

For them, SAF is no longer an optional extra, but has been an integral part of their offering since 2025. The contribution is included directly in the travel price, so customers do not have to select anything extra. The idea behind this is clear: responsibility should not be an additional decision. It is part of the trip.

The positive response shows that this resolute attitude is appreciated. Many welcome the fact that responsibility is actively integrated into the trip.

Achieving impact together

Whether consciously elected as an option during a consultation with Hotelplan or as an integrated standard at Imbach Reisen and Vögele Reisen, sustainable aviation fuel is one of the most important keys to the future of travel, alongside other measures such as fleet modernization, flight operation optimization, and investments in climate protection projects.

Every choice for more responsible options strengthens innovation, promotes investment, and gradually helps to make solutions such as SAF the new standard.

Gabriel Müller, Co-Head of Corporate Responsibility at SWISS says: "We are proud to work with our partners to offer solutions that go beyond our own channels. We can only drive the scaling of technologies such as sustainable aviation fuel to make travel more sustainable together."

Back to the customer at the travel agency. In the end, she does decide to make a contribution. For her, it's just a small addition to the booking. But if many people make this decision, it will create a powerful lever for the future of flying.

What you can do: When you make your next booking – whether directly with us at swiss.com or with your preferred tour operator – look out for the various options for reducing CO₂ emissions when flying.