A4A Commends Congressman Joe Walsh on Introducing H.R. 6028, the No-Hassle Flying Act of 2012

Commercial aviation helps drive more than 10M American jobs and 5 cents of every dollar of U.S. GDP
Commercial aviation drives more than $1 trillion per year in economic activity
In 2012, U.S. airlines moved more than 48,000 tons of cargo per day
In 2012, the value of a kilogram of U.S. merchandise exported by air averaged 121 times the value exported by sea
For every 100 airline jobs, some 360 are supported outside of the airline industry
Federal taxes constitute $61 – or 20% – of the price of a typical $300 domestic round-trip ticket
In 2011, U.S. airlines carried 16 percent more passengers and cargo using 10 percent less fuel than in 2000
Domestically, airlines drive 5% of economic activity but account for 2% of man-made GHG emissions
From 2000-2011, airlines reduced GHG emissions by 11% while transporting 16% more passengers and cargo
From 1975-2011, U.S. airlines and their partners reduced significant noise exposure by 99%
Commercial air travel is the safest form of intercity transportation in the United States
In the most recent decade, scheduled air service on U.S. airlines was seven times safer than in the 1970s
From 2000-2012, U.S. airlines improved the on-time arrival rate from 72.6% to 81.9%
From 2000-2012, U.S. airlines reduced the flight cancellation rate sharply from 3.30% to 1.29%
Airfares are a bargain: From 2000-2012, U.S. CPI rose 33% while average domestic fare rose just 14%
Adjusted for inflation, the average round-trip domestic airfare fell 15% from 2000
2007 domestic flight delays cost the United States approximately $31 billion
In 2012, the value of U.S. merchandise exported by air reached an all-time high of $427B
In 2012, U.S. exports of air-travel services reached an all-time high of $39.5B, driving a $5.1B trade surplus
In 2012, U.S. passenger and cargo airlines spent more than $50B on fuel, averaging 36% of operating expenses
In 2012, U.S. airlines posted the lowest annual rate of mishandled baggage ever recorded
FAA projects U.S. air travel demand to top 1 billion passengers in 2027
In 2012, US airlines flew 83.4 million passengers in scheduled international service - a record high
In 2012, the total value of merchandise exported from or imported to the United States by air exceeded $927 billion
In 2012, 7.15 teragrams of merchandise was exported from or imported to the United States by air

	A4A Commends Congressman Joe Walsh on Introducing H.R. 6028, the No-Hassle Flying Act of 2012
	PubZone1 July 24, 2012 The Honorable Joe Walsh 432 Cannon House Office Building United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Representative Walsh, Airlines for America¹ would like to applaud you on introducing HR. 6028, the “No-Hassle Flying Act of 2012,” and express its appreciation for your initiative on this issue. Safe and reliable baggage screening is a key component in ensuring aviation security around the world, and our members fully support the implementation of robust, reliable, and intelligent screening systems. As you know, the Transportation Security Administration requires that international passengers flying to the United States and transferring through an American hub airport re-scan and re-check their luggage at their initial American point of entry. This duplicate screening procedure makes little security sense, creates unnecessary cost, and delays passengers while transferring. Before boarding an international flight to the United States, a passenger and his luggage are thoroughly screened. To inconvenience passengers by forcing them into a time consuming repetition of a procedure that has already been previously completed has no security benefit, costs the federal government money, and delays passengers while trying to make a time sensitive transfer between flights. Our carriers are constantly striving to improve our customer’s experience. Air fares are a real bargain and on-time performance is constantly improving. However, there are factors, such as the double screening procedure, that are beyond our carriers’ ability to improve, and it is programs such as the double screening procedure that pose an unnecessary hurdle to continuing to improve our on-time performance. We believe the provisions in your bill giving the TSA the discretion, on an airport-by-airport basis, to certify foreign airports as meeting TSA security standards, and then freeing passengers arriving from those airports from the duplicate and costly repeat screening procedure when transiting through the United States will ensure the highest level of security while reducing the government’s costs and significantly improving our customer’s experience while flying into the United States. We thank you for your initiative on this important issue. Sincerely, Sharon L. Pinkerton Senior Vice President Legislative and Regulatory Policy ¹The members of Airlines for America include: Alaska Airlines, Inc.; American Airlines, Inc.; Atlas Air, Inc.; Delta Air Lines, Inc.; FedEx Corp.; Hawaiian Airlines; JetBlue Airways Corp.; Southwest Airlines Co.; United Continental Holdings, Inc.; UPS Airlines; and US Airways, Inc. Air Canada is an A4A associate airline member. PubZone2	A4A advocates measures to support aviation safety, security and well-being.