Showers at 30,000ft - Just Plane Stupid

I recently found myself reading an article from the Times about how Emirates are to include showers in their new luxurious first class cabins on board the the Airbus A380. Whilst the height of luxury at 37 000ft, this will rack up a huge carbon footprint, just a mere 881kg of CO2 per shower assuming the extra tonne of water is completely used at 40 litres per shower and 25 showers per journey. Each shower on board is the equivalent to heating water in a domestic water heater for 544 hours.

The showers, part of cabins in first class designed by BE Aerospace will first make an appearance on the Dubai to New York route on October 01.

“It’s symptomatic of who really benefits, the richest 18% in this country take 54% of all flights. The government is telling us to take fewer flights, but the huge increase in air traffic is not due to ordinary people going on family holidays, but because of excessive flying by the moneyed classes. Is this the type of development the aviation industry really needs?”
Robbie Gillett, Plane Stupid

I don't often agree with the antics of Plane Stupid, such as their protest last month atop the House of Commons, and hence the carefully worded post that followed. However, I don't think there is an environmental group or person who could justify such extreme gluttonous expenditure for such a minor pleasure.