This study examines the significant role of long-distance travel in carbon emissions from passenger transport in England. Despite accounting for only 2.7% of trips, long-distance travel (LDT) contributes 61.3% of miles and 69.3% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from passenger travel. The study highlights that LDT, particularly flying, has been increasing over time, while shorter-distance travel has decreased. Leisure and social purposes are the largest contributors to LDT miles and emissions, with international travel, especially aviation, playing a crucial role. The authors propose a new metric, emissions reduction sensitivity (% emission reduced/% trips altered), to assess the efficiency of travel demand reduction strategies. They find that policies targeting flying, especially for leisure and social purposes, offer the highest potential for reducing emissions with minimal disruption to travel patterns. The study emphasizes the need for including international aviation emissions in national carbon accounting and suggests that a balanced approach combining technology-focused solutions and demand-side measures is necessary for achieving ambitious decarbonization goals.This study examines the significant role of long-distance travel in carbon emissions from passenger transport in England. Despite accounting for only 2.7% of trips, long-distance travel (LDT) contributes 61.3% of miles and 69.3% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from passenger travel. The study highlights that LDT, particularly flying, has been increasing over time, while shorter-distance travel has decreased. Leisure and social purposes are the largest contributors to LDT miles and emissions, with international travel, especially aviation, playing a crucial role. The authors propose a new metric, emissions reduction sensitivity (% emission reduced/% trips altered), to assess the efficiency of travel demand reduction strategies. They find that policies targeting flying, especially for leisure and social purposes, offer the highest potential for reducing emissions with minimal disruption to travel patterns. The study emphasizes the need for including international aviation emissions in national carbon accounting and suggests that a balanced approach combining technology-focused solutions and demand-side measures is necessary for achieving ambitious decarbonization goals.