We know the oil companies are notorious greenwashers, but you might not have thought about the airlines. Apparently, they're just as guilty as big oil.

This month a group of environmental organizations, including Earth Justice, Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, Environment America, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Defense Fund, called out American Airlines, United and Continental Airlines for their efforts to gut anti-pollution programs while simultaneously bragging about their environmental performance.

The issue is these companies each touted their environmental responsibility around Earth Day last month: American in an article in American Airlines in-flight magazine, and the newly merged United and Continental in the description of their new “Eco-Skies” environmental campaign.

But meanwhile were suing in the European Court of Justice to block a new law that holds airlines accountable for their global warming pollution. Classic Greenwash. 

The environmental groups sent letters to the airlines criticizing them for: 

“spending [their] customers’ money on lawyers and lobbyists in an effort to thwart a crucial anti-pollution program”.

And urging them to:

"drop the lawsuit, and join the future of low-carbon aviation by making your actions consistent with your words."

 EDF also sumitted ads to the airline magazines urging them to start flying cleaner (above).

 Read more on the Environmental Defense Fund's blog.