Pollution

• Planes burn an immense amount of fuel, which contributes to polluting the atmosphere. To counterbalance the harmful effects of this pollution, many people purchase "carbon credits" to offset the negative effects of pollution by contributing money to sustainable energy projects, as Carbon Neutral explains.
  
  

Freedom

• As travel becomes faster, people can choose to move to across the country or overseas. Thus, air travel contributes to people's growing feelings of freedom to choose where they want to live because they can visit loved ones with relative ease.
  
  

Diversity

• Air travel allows people from diverse cultures to settle in or visit a particular area. As cultures mix, people often become more open-minded and understanding of people from other backgrounds, as a 2006 report by the International Student Travel Confederation says.
  
  

Tourism

• Air travel benefits tourism by letting people travel to places they couldn't access by car. Some nations rely on tourism as a main industry, and proponents of ecotourism hope it will help to save some of the world's natural wonders.
  
  

Military

• Through air travel, militaries can quickly mobilize, crossing continents or oceans in hours instead of days.
  
  

Trade

• Global trade allows people to export and import goods to and from countries around the world; thus, people can find tropical fruits in northern climates and apples in the tropics.