Regardless of net efficiency, that still entails collecting CO2 at a central facility (where it could have been dealt with in other ways, such as injection underground) and sprinkling it through the air as you fly over delicate ecosystems. I'm sure bankers see both as net zero, but condors might have more issues with your simpler workaround.

> sprinkling it through the air as you fly over delicate ecosystems

I wouldn’t be so sure spraying water vapour is innocuous. As long as it’s atmospheric CO2, the environmental impact of synthetic fuels is much less than rebuilding the world’s air fleet and fuelling infrastructure to accommodate hydrogen.