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 Urges Secretaries Clinton and LaHood to File an Article 84 to Overturn EU ETS

Public Policy section: picture of the Capitol dome

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary of State

U.S. Department of State

2201 C Street NW

Washington, DC 20520

The Honorable Raymond H. LaHood

Secretary of Transportation

U.S. Department of Transportation

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590

Dear Secretaries Clinton and LaHood:

We are pleased that the U.S. government is taking the initiative to host a meeting of countries that are opposed to the unilateral imposition of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) to international aviation. We are hopeful that the July 31-Aug. 1 meeting will provide further impetus for withdrawal of the unlawful EU scheme and for going forward with the global framework for aviation and climate change provisionally agreed at the 2010 Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

As you recognized in your Dec. 11, 2011 letter to EU officials, the U.S. aviation industry has a strong record of fuel-efficiency improvements and GHG emissions savings. And we remain fully committed to the global aviation industry proposal for aviation GHG emissions under ICAO, which includes an aggressive set of measures and emissions targets. In fact, progress is being made under the global framework. Many countries reportedly have filed aviation and climate Action Plans with ICAO, and ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection just reached a significant milestone in its work to craft a carbon dioxide standard for aircraft, having agreed on the “metric system” on which the standard will be based. Your leadership in the July 31-Aug. 1 meeting and in the months leading up to the 2013 ICAO Assembly will build on this momentum to help ensure the full implementation of the global framework with meaningful participation from all States.

While an important deliverable from the July 31-Aug. 1 meeting certainly will be reconfirming the countries’ commitment to the global framework, we ask that the U.S. government strongly restate opposition to – and continuing plans for overturning – the application of the EU ETS to international aviation. It has been seven months since U.S. airlines and aircraft operators became subject to the scheme’s emissions allowances purchase, trading and surrender obligations. It has been eight months since you sent a firm letter to EU officials urging them to halt or suspend application of the ETS. As each day goes by without an EU act to halt or suspend the ETS, the harm to U.S. airlines and aircraft operators and the threat to U.S. sovereignty grow while the U.S. government’s credibility is weakened.

We urge the Administration to file an action under Article 84 of the Chicago Convention and to take all other action necessary to overturn this wrongful scheme. There is strong, bipartisan support for ensuring that U.S. passengers, airlines and aircraft operators are not subject to this unlawful scheme, as evidenced by the passage of H.R. 2594 in the House of Representatives and the mark up of S. 1956, the “European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act,” scheduled for July 31 in the Senate. We appreciate Congress’ action and support and trust that it will give the Administration further impetus for action.

Again, thank you for your efforts.

Aerospace Industries Association
Air Line Pilots Association
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
Airlines for America
Airports Council International-North America
American Society of Travel Agents
Cargo Airline Association
Consumer Travel Alliance
Independent Pilots Association
Interactive Travel Services Association
General Aviation Manufacturers Association
Global Business Travel Association
National Air Carrier Association
National Air Transportation Association
National Business Aviation Association
Regional Airline Association
International Brotherhood of Teamsters – Airline Division
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Travel Association

A4A advocates measures to support aviation safety, security and well-being.