ATA Letter in Opposition to Auctioning Landing and Departure Slots

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 13%
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

	ATA Letter in Opposition to Auctioning Landing and Departure Slots
	PubZone1 November 14, 2008 The Honorable Harry Reid Majority Leader, United States Senate 528 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Majority Leader Reid: Thank you for your strong opposition to Bush administration efforts to confiscate and auction landing and departure slots at New York City-area airports. Unfortunately, despite the Department of Transportation's (DOT) lack of legal authority in this area and many clear communications from Congress to abandon it, the DOT has finalized its flawed scheme and has announced that it will begin auctioning carrier slots on January 12, 2009. Clearly, delay and congestion problems in the New York City region are unacceptable and must be addressed, but confiscating and auctioning existing landing and departure slots will harm airlines, cargo shippers, airports and consumers, while doing nothing to address the underlying problem. It will increase prices for passengers and shippers, reduce or eliminate air service to many small communities by making it too costly to fly small aircraft on shorted routes into and out of New York City, and will hamper these airports' efforts to develop in a stable manner. Finally, this scheme will force airlines to perpetually reacquire these slots at considerable expense, harm the extensive domestic and international networks that U.S. carriers have developed at the three New York City airports and could cede dominance at those airports to the more than 60 foreign-flag carriers that currently operate there. As you consider a host of year-end legislative proposals in the final days of this Congress, including critical legislation to stabilize and stimulate our nation's struggling economy, I urge you to include language in one of those bills to prevent the Bush administration from undertaking this reckless and harmful experiment as it walks out the door. In the absence of such legislation, it is clear that the administration will continue its efforts to implement this flawed proposal. Thank you for your strong leadership on this issue and your consideration of this request. Sincerely, James C. May President and CEO cc: The Hon. Charles Shumer The Hon. Patty Murray PubZone2	A4A advocates measures to support aviation safety, security and well-being.