Coalition Letter to Chairman Murray on NextGen Implementation

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

	Coalition Letter to Chairman Murray on NextGen Implementation
	PubZone1 September 18, 2009 The Honorable Patty Murray Chairman, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development 173 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman Murray: We appreciate your support for the next-generation air traffic control system (NextGen) and the efforts to accelerate its implementation. However, we remain very concerned about the lack of funding for one of the most critical steps needed in this regard - equipping all civil and military aircraft with NextGen technologies. If aircraft are not properly equipped, the benefits of NextGen will be delayed for controllers, pilots and, most importantly, the traveling public. These benefits include enhanced safety, increased fuel efficiency and therefore, drastically reduced C02 emissions. Given the economic condition of our industry, it is simply not feasible to think the industry can pay for these new systems anytime soon. As such, it is our belief that, at a minimum, any new transportation innovative financing proposals in the 2010 Transportation-HUD Appropriations conference report, whether it is a National Infrastructure "Fund" or "Bank", include equipage as an eligible investment. While other actions will be needed, by including eligibility for equipage in an infrastructure bank or fund, you will have taken an important first step in addressing this critical component of NextGen. These investments can be compared favorably to those the federal government is undertaking for other modes of transportation and technologies - most notably high speed rail and important safety technologies like positive train control. We respect the support for these new initiatives but believe support should be extended to the aviation sector particularly when the federal government is solely responsible for air traffic control and could achieve significant benefits through this equipage. We appreciate your leadership on this and look forward to working together on this important initiative. Sincerely, Marion Blakely President and CEO Aerospace Industrial Association Craig Fuller President and CEO Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Brian Dubie Chairman Aerospace States Association Jim May President and CEO Air Transport Association Pete Dumont President and CEO Air Traffic Control Association Steve Alterman President Cargo Airline Association Tom Poberezny Chairman and President Experimental Aircraft Association Pete Bunce President and CEO General Aviation Manufacturers Association Tom Zoeller President and CEO National Air Carrier Association James Coyne President National Air Transportation Association Patrick Forrey President National Air Traffic Controllers Association Ed Bolen President and CEO National Business Aviation Association Michael McCormick Executive Director and COO National Business Travel Association Roger Cohen President Regional Airline Association cc: The Honorable Daniel K. Inouye PubZone2	A4A advocates measures to support aviation safety, security and well-being.