ATA Requests APHIS Response to Concerns Surrounding the Proposed Fee Increase

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 Requests APHIS Response to Concerns Surrounding the Proposed Fee Increase
	PubZone1 October 23, 2009 The Honorable Cindy Smith Administrator United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 1400 Independence Avenue, S W Washington, DC 20250 Dear Madam Administrator: In advance of the October 27 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) public meeting to discuss the agriculture quarantine and inspection (AQI) user fee increases, we request that the following questions and concerns be addressed at the meeting: Describe in detail and provide cost data supporting the APHIS determination for increasing the air passenger fee on an emergency basis to $5.50 per passenger and $78 per aircraft, as outlined in the Interim Rule. Please provide evidence that demonstrates APHIS control over expenditures for fees collected from both air passengers and air carriers and which ensures that excess user fees collected in any given year are spent on the class of persons or entity from which they are collected. Can APHIS make available results of any accounting for AQI user fees by class of persons or entities and/or any audits of AQI user fees? Does APHIS account for its own AQI costs by class of persons or entities? How does APHIS determine which class of persons or entity drives costs for categories such as inspector training or manual preparation, which may be difficult to segregate by user? Please explain whether U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and APHIS respective shares of inspection costs are the same for every inspected person and entity. That is, as APHIS retains 37 percent of total AQI user fee receipts (not including Canadian receipts), are 37 percent of air passenger inspection costs driven by APHIS support functions, 37 percent of rail car inspection costs driven by APHIS expenses, 37 percent for trucks, etc? Are, for example, APHIS support costs for rail cars (which have a lower AQI user fee than aircraft) a fraction of APHIS support costs for aircraft inspections? Similarly, are CBP costs of inspecting each entity equal to 63 percent of the fees collected from each entity? As indicated in my October 19 letter to Secretary Vilsack, the first public meeting on October 15 did not provide any new information as to why the Interim Rule was issued on an emergency basis. In addition, the meeting did not provide any useful data to demonstrate that the fees are commensurate with the costs of agricultural quarantine and inspection services. Simply stating that "the recent downturn in the U.S. economy has negatively impacted travel volumes, and, as a result, our user fee collections" is not justification for an Interim Rule. We hope that the meeting on October 27 will be more useful in explaining the agency's rationale, rather than a "listening session" for APHIS officials. Sincerely, James C. May President and CEO PubZone2	A4A advocates measures to support aviation safety, security and well-being.