Airlines are rewriting not just the rules of the game for the aviation industry, but on how travelers embrace environmental sustainability as their passport to serenity while soaring more than 30,000 feet above the clouds.

That was exactly the indelible footprint that the United Airlines’ direct flight from Manila to San Francisco, California had etched as it took off from its inaugural flight on October 30 this year. From that time on, the airline flies daily to its MNL-SFO route and vice versa; all while giving off that eco-conscious vibe to its passengers and crew that air travel doesn’t necessarily come at the expense of the environment.

The United Airlines’ quest for green aviation future is manifest once you board the aircraft - passengers at its Polaris Business Class cabin, in particular, can be comfortably and stylishly cocooned into its limited edition eco-blankets that are made from recycled plastic bottles. Cheers, because that’s not just an eco-hug to you as a passenger, but more importantly, that portends a messianic embrace for the planet!

“Who know plastic bottles could be this comfortable?” That’s a striking question that will greet you once you take your seat and as you examine the homey amenities that come with the airline’s service offerings – somehow, the ‘green blanket’ itself breathes new life into what should have been discarded resources, which is indeed a very innovative and clever way to relieve burden on landfills and will also trim demand for virgin materials.

But the green credentials of United Airlines don’t just stop at weaving innovation into the chic side of sustainability – as the airline has also been opting for green solutions through its supply chain, not just in the present but even further into the future.

The limited edition eco-blanket of United Airlines

Sustainable aviation fuel and the green trail of efficiency

“We are deeply committed to reduce United’s carbon footprints – we have a number of initiatives…it is a very, very big commitment to reduce our footprint. United is at the forefront of sustainability,” said Marcel Fuchs, managing director for Worldwide Sales of United Airlines.

He conveyed that the airline already committed to purchase at least 5.0 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a move that is in in line with the global initiative of Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) being advanced by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) - that way, the global airlines industry can pursue a harmonized strategy to reduce all-inclusive carbon emissions.

“We work with various parties around the globe to purchase sustainable aviation fuel,” Fuchs emphasized.

On top of that, the company executive indicated that UA’s green solutions toolbox also integrate other instruments and strategies – including waste segregation onboard which is a commitment taken very seriously by the flight crew; the airline’s pursuit of partnerships with companies on carbon capture through sequestration; its fund generation for sustainability initiatives; pioneering the rollout of electric-powered ground equipment as well as its use of electric taxis; then it is also targeting ventures toward aerodynamic advancements into hydrogen technologies as well as electric aircrafts that may reshape the future of the airlines industry.

According to United Airlines, its Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund which had been set up to support the supply of SAF, had already increased exponentially to $200 million scale as of July this year – or just five months from its launch in February – and that had been mainly due to the support of equally passionate corporate and institutional partners as well as consumers who had extended valuable contribution into the fund.

Fuchs further shared that a major strategy the airline will be pursuing onward will be on its re-fleeting program through the “order of new aircrafts that are more modern and more efficient.”

Breaking free from carbon-intensive practices rings loud as a challenge to the aviation industry since government policymakers, climate scientists, corporate captains and global thought leaders will be gathering again by the end of this month in Dubai, UAE for the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) on Climate Change. Yet through it all, frequent flyers may be able to rest easy in knowing that the airline they’re patronizing has been taking revolutionary shifts on its chain of its operations so it can reinforce carbon-neutral journey across the skies.

The COP28 compass, in fact, is not just targeting airlines into the avant-garde of sustainability, it has also been extending scrutiny to the airports – asking them to take bolder steps in transforming themselves as eco-friendly take-off hubs for travel so they can valuably contribute solutions to the global climate crisis. By far, the San Francisco International Airport measures up to that environmental stewardship challenge, not just by drawing its electricity supply from solar power, but for championing its ‘triple zero’ approach on reducing greenhouse gas emissions – that’s having ‘zero waste’ going to landfills; ‘zero net energy’ facilities; and ‘zero net carbon’ operations.

Tourism avalanche and economic opportunities

Jetting off on a direct flight to your destination offers a lot of advantages – as they say, that is the modern world version of a ‘magic carpet ride’ that will shorten travel time and eliminate layover hurdles; hence, that could spur higher degree of tourism influx as well as a treasure trove of economic opportunities between the two countries being interconnected through these international flights.

And for the MNL-SFO route, in particular, United Airlines is just the other player and the first foreign airliner to offer a direct flight to that destination. With more than 400 seats across sections in the cabin – from the Business Class to premium economy and then the economy section, United Airlines vouched that the inaugural flight “had been full coming in; and almost full going out.”  

“The San Francisco-Manila flight is indeed the first time that a US airline has flown between the US mainland and the Philippines. We are pleased to be pioneering and to be industry-leading this service. United Airlines has a very, very long and great business here in the Philippines,” Fuchs stressed.

Labeling San Francisco as a premier gateway into other destinations in the United States, Fuchs qualified that United Airlines can take pride in the fact that its flight will be arriving in the US early in the morning, so that will enable passengers gain a day of adventure or business meetings upon their arrival. And the flight back from San Francisco leaves at midnight, and with that, travelers can still squeeze in other escapades or shopping at daytime.

As highlighted by US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay L. Carlson, “one of the best ways to describe the collaboration between our two countries is ‘Partners in Prosperity’; with her emphasizing that “this phrase encapsulates how both the US government and American companies engage with counterparts across the globe, and particularly here in the Philippines.”

She added “there are few more partnerships than those created and facilitated by the travel industry. Exceptional companies like United Airlines make our global business environment possible.”

The ambassador narrated that the concretization of United Airlines’ direct flight from Manila to San Francisco stemmed from an agreement earlier solidified by US President Joe Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “to expand air ties”, specifying that this deal “will help strengthen our economic and people-to-people ties.”

Cake-cutting at the inaugural MNL-SFO flight

Historical trails, the open sea and the sunset

Via its collaborative partnership with the San Francisco Tours and the Beacon Grand Hotel which co-hosted the travel of journalists from the Philippines who joined the inaugural flight, United Airlines stitched together an itinerary which could ignite the zeal of adventure for those who would be visiting the Bay Area – be it for fanciful expedition of leisure or for business purposes.

The full-packed four-day itinerary include a ‘tour of the rock’ or ‘The Alcatraz’, which for years had always been known as a ‘solitary island’ and a former detention center for hardened criminals who were also notorious for having high escape risks and were enormous troublemakers – the likes of Al “Scarface” Capone, Alvin “Kreepy” Karpis, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Floyd Hamilton and Robert Stroud, who’s also been famed as ‘The Birdman of Alcatraz’; then there was also the San Francisco Love Tours on a private hippie bus that will drive tourists through San Francisco’s most legendary landmarks and famous neighborhoods – including a short stop at the former residence of the late Hollywood actor Robin Williams; as well as tour to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, then a drive into the Lombard Street, Haight Ashbury and then into the Castro District.

The 90-minute sunset cruise onboard a catamaran of Adventure Cat Sailing somehow heightened up the magic of adventure – at entry point, there’s that haunting cry of the sea lions, but as the sail advances into the middle of the open sea, this expedition basically marries adrenaline rush with awe because you’re not just taking thrill on the idea of navigating turbulent waters but you are also chasing the sun’s breathtaking descent as its gets silhouetted into the horizon –witnessing all of that while cruising beneath the well-revered Golden Gate Bridge.

Sunset sail beneath the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

Part of the journey through memory lane was a visit to the Cable Car Museum which provides snapshot into the history of one of the city’s key attractions (the cable car ride) -- and the museum itself is home to well-preserved artifacts, including car number 8, which has been one of the first cable cars to operate in the city. Then there was also a short stop to the fascinating 1895 Ghirardelli Square, which used to be the original site of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, and is now hosting cozy collection of shops, restaurants, and a luxury hotel.

A thriving private-public partnership (PPP) has also been presented via a tour of the Presidio, including its venerated Tunnel Tops -- transformed from a military base into a burgeoning national park that offers trail romps, picnic areas and gathering spots as well as gardens and meadows against the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge on one side; and the Palace of Fine Arts on other parts of the park.

The Presidio Tunnel Tops

Igniting the chaotic charm of culinary hotspots

San Francisco is a ‘gastronomic playground’ for the food enthusiasts, and locals claim that the true unifying force of this city actually lies in its culinary scene.

The award-winning Filipino chef Jose Tallador at the Beacon Grand Hotel in San Francisco, California

In the roll of recommendations of San Francisco Tours had been Chotto Matte, a newly opened Japanese restaurant which showcases Nikkei cuisine; then the House of Nanking in San Francisco’s Chinatown district, a restaurant that has been serving authentic Shanghainese home cooking borne out of the creative culinary spin of the father-and-daughter tandem of Peter and Kathy Fang and this restaurant also gained prominence as one of the shooting sites of ‘The Matrix” movie of Keanu Reeves. Of course, there’s also Abaca, a restaurant that has been raising the Philippine flag and giving major popularity boost to what Filipinos can really offer on the gastronomic landscape; then there’s a buffet breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Hotel hosted by Henrietta “Henree” Weiner, who previously worked in major hotels in Manila and is now the Director for Sales in that San Francisco hotel; and there was also a fitting dinner cap at Flour + Water restaurant, which is a delight to those craving for all things pizza.

And to those opting for authentic tastes and more daring with their meal hunts , the Mission District Food Tour offers a melting pot of culinary marvels, including food feasts from Latin American cuisines, which entices you to savor the collision of tradition as well as innovation because every bite really tells a story of culture and the people behind it.

Indeed, the thrill of adventure begins soon as the airplane wheels leave the runway; and the elixir that provides even more excitement into the entire journey is letting yourself abandon the familiar and embracing the unknown as you take very step into the new territory that you are in. And yes, home could also be two eyes and a heartbeat!