ATA Pledges Commitment to TSA Targeted, Risk-Based Security Programs

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 Pledges Commitment to TSA Targeted, Risk-Based Security Programs
	PubZone1 WASHINGTON, July 12, 2011 – The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, expressed its commitment to continue to work cooperatively with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as it works to implement a risk-based security regime and deliver a more efficient and cost-effective system. “Effective, efficient security is vital to the U.S. airline industry in fulfilling our central role in propelling commerce and the economic vitality and global competitiveness of our country,” said ATA President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio in testimony before the Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security. “Our members appreciate the collaborative relationship that we have with TSA. Allowing TSA to focus its finite resources on the greatest threat is both good policy and good security.” Calio identified three risk-based programs, supported by ATA, which will allow TSA to focus its resources on the greatest threats, simultaneously speeding up the security process for passengers, crews and cargo: Known Traveler Program: Under this proposed program, passengers would volunteer pertinent information, enabling TSA to create an alternative type of vetting for them and leverage the additional passenger information. “This program should not simply allow certain passengers to go to the front of the line. Rather, TSA should use current information databases to create an expedited security regime for these travelers,” Calio said. Known Crewmember Program: Working with TSA and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), ATA will begin a 90-day pilot program next month at seven U.S. major airports. The program uses a pilot’s photo ID to verify identity and employment status by checking it against a secure database. “Moving crew out of the regular security line has the dual benefit of enabling TSA staff to focus on potential threats and speeding up the security process for passengers,” Calio said. He also stated that ATA wants this program extended to flight attendants. Known Shipper Programs: ATA members have met the requirement that 100 percent of air cargo departing U.S. airports be screened. ATA is working with TSA and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) toward further risk-based screening of international inbound air cargo. “The goal is for TSA and CBP to receive and process information about shippers earlier than currently required, allowing resources to be focused on elevated-risk cargo,” Calio said. ATA reported that its members and passengers paid $3.4 billion in taxes and fees to the Department of Homeland Security, $2 billion of which went to the TSA in 2010, a 50 percent increase from nearly a decade ago. “This is an enormous contribution from one segment of the private sector, for what is clearly a national responsibility. No other industry or mode of transportation is singularly responsible for funding security costs as the airline industry and our passengers do today. This must change. The costs associated with that security should be borne by the federal government,” Calio said. The industry’s federal tax burden on a typical $300 domestic round-trip ticket has nearly tripled since 1972 – from $22 to $63. Aviation security taxes and fees now constitute almost 25 percent of the industry’s federal tax burden. To put this into perspective, the U.S. airline industry’s total profit last year was $3.7 billion, just one of three profitable years over the last decade, in which U.S. airlines lost $55 billion and shed nearly 160,000 jobs. “ATA will continue our great partnership with TSA to evolve our practices to ensure that we have the best possible security, so that U.S. airlines can continue to move goods and people to the benefit of our nation’s economy and global competitiveness. We look forward to working with the Subcommittee and TSA to realize these mutually reinforcing goals,” Calio said. ABOUT ATA Annually, commercial aviation helps drive more than $1 trillion in U.S. economic activity and nearly 11 million U.S. jobs. ATA airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For more information about the airline industry, visit www.airlines.org and follow us on Twitter @airlinesassn. ### PubZone2	A4A is a leading source for key aviation information.