The private jet set

While the rest of us are wondering if we should stop flying, some celebrities are just clocking up the air miles. Patrick Collinson rounds up some big names with huge carbon footprints Wednesday January 24, 2007Guardian Unlimited Tom Cruise has attracted the wrath of the green lobby for his use of private jets. Photograph: Max Nash/AP
When Tony Blair announced he had no intention of giving up long-haul flights, environmental groups were enraged. Although emissions from aviation account for a small percentage of the greenhouse gases produced by the UK, most campaigners say restricting flights will be an important part of cutting our carbon footprint.
Should I Really Give Up Flying - a programme on BBC2 tonight - explores the arguments for and against giving up air travel. But while the rest of us may be thinking twice before we book that cheap flight, in the land of celebrity they seem to have few qualms about clocking up the air miles.


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When it comes to flying, these are my top 10 eco sinners:
Donnatella VersaceVulgar wealth and Versace have always gone hand in hand, and the latest accessory is a Versace private jet. Green is not an environmental statement, just part of the colour palette. For £10m or so Donatella will fit out your private jet with her trademark leather sofas, or for £100m you can have a Versace 747. No word on whether that includes a leopard skin tail fin.
If that's beyond your budget, there's always the limited edition couture Versace jet bag, a snip at nearly £1,000.
Tom CruiseThe Top Gun star is so disliked by the eco-lobby he has been dubbed "emissions impossible". He is reported to own three private jets - including a recent $20m (£10m) purchase for wife Katie Holmes.
There's a story, never denied by Cruise, that he sent one of those private jets just to pick up some groceries for Katie. But the good news is that the vegetables were organic.
John TravoltaJohn Travolta once starred in a movie about bringing industrial polluters to justice, but in real life he probably has the biggest carbon footprint of any Hollywood star.
He parks his personal Boeing 707 on his front lawn - next to his three Gulfstream jets and a Lear jet. Rather appropriately, he has called his home "Jumbolair". He's already logged 5,000 hours as a pilot - but he did at least put his skills to good use transporting food to victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
David BeckhamHis footwork may be fancy, but he gets the red card for his carbon footprint. Just one flight from London to Madrid releases 450kg of carbon into the atmosphere. Add together his international trips last year, and his emissions clock up to an estimated 15,000kg of carbon dioxide.
Once he gets to Los Angeles his pay will go into the stratosphere and so will his carbon emissions. And does he really need to own 15 gas-guzzling cars, including a Lamborghini, two Ferraris and a Bentley?
Victoria BeckhamHer 2002 autobiography was called Learning to Fly and she's never really stopped since. During the World Cup, her plane from Madrid was grounded due to engine failure. So she simply chartered a private jet - at a cost of £21,000 - to get her to Germany on time. That trip alone would equal many people's annual carbon emissions.
Simon CowellThe X Factor judge is not the type to make excuses for his lifestyle. For the X Factor auditions in Dublin, he flew in and out on the same day in a private jet. He says he likes private jets because "the champagne's better and you can smoke, which is a rare pleasure these days at 36,000 feet".
Sharon OsbourneAnother TV star who can't resist the lure of the Learjet. Simon Cowell lent her his private jet to get back home when fire broke out at her mansion.
That was just one of the 300,000 private jet flights in and out of London last year - more than any other capital in Europe and growing at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world.
Phillip GreenHe's the billionaire who owns 2,500 stores including Topshop, Miss Selfridge and Bhs. He avoids paying millions of pounds in tax by living in Monaco, but dumps thousands of kilos of carbon on the rest of us from his cherished Gulfstream jet as he commutes back and forth to his London office.
Meanwhile his Topshop store promotes an ethical clothing range with, it claims, "the highest environmental standards".
Roman AbramovichRoman Abramovich is governor of a far eastern province of Russia - but there's not much chance you'll spot him heading there on Aeroflot. Instead he owns the big daddy of private jets - a Boeing 767 that would normally seat 180 people.
He paid around £56m for the jet - and has spent many more millions fitting it out with bathrooms, giant plasma screens and, according to reports, lots of mahogany, walnut and gold. It's three times heavier than the biggest Gulfstream private jet and emits far more carbon.
The 767 appears to be the monster private jet of choice for billionaires - the founders of Google have also bought one. Meanwhile, they give their employees a $5,000 bonus if they buy a low-emission hybrid car.
Michael O'LearyHe's the environmentalist's public enemy number one. He's the boss of Ryanair, and proudly declares his intention to increase his airlines carbon emissions. He's the only major UK airline not to join the Sustainable Aviation Group - and says his main contribution to the environment will be driving other airlines out of business.
He argues that airlines still only produce 2% of the world's carbon emissions - and says his critics should give up their cars first.
But pressure group Future Forest calculates that each of his customers - that's you and me - emits 600kg of carbon dioxide on each low cost fight - and Ryanair needs to plant a staggering 16.5m trees a year to offset its impact on the climate.
· Patrick Collinson will be talking about the celebrities who love to fly on Should I Really Give Up Flying, which will be shown on BBC 2 tonight at 9pmSpecial reportsEco-tourism Travel and transport Useful toolsCarbon offset calculator