Coalition on Air Cargo Screening Discuss Challenges of Meeting 2010 Deadline

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

	Coalition on Air Cargo Screening Discuss Challenges of Meeting 2010 Deadline
	PubZone1 April 23, 2009 The Honorable Bennie Thompson Chairman, House Committee on Homeland Security 2432 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Peter King Ranking Member, House Committee on Homeland Security 436 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member King: The undersigned associations represent a broad range of our nation’s air cargo supply chain, including manufacturers, freight forwarders, third-party logistics providers, passenger and cargo airlines, and the U.S. business community. We are united by a shared interest in the effective screening of air cargo. The airfreight industry has been working diligently with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to meet the August 2010 deadline to carry out 100 percent screening of air cargo on passenger-carrying aircraft. Much has been accomplished in the United States thus far – at great cost to the airlines. Meeting the goal of increasing the percentage of wide-body air cargo screened from the current 50 percent to 100 percent over the next 18 months will be difficult; its success will depend on several important steps being taken promptly. Additional challenges exist overseas, where foreign-government requirements mean that coordination at multiple foreign locations will be necessary. The key challenge to meeting the August 2010 deadline in the United States is the lack of TSA-certified screening technology to inspect large air cargo skids and pallets. Most pieces of cargo transported on wide-body aircraft are consolidated into large shipments. Shippers and freight forwarders typically create these pallet-size shipments before they are tendered to an airline. These pallet-size shipments present the key challenge as screening is required at the piece level, yet there is no existing technology to screen consolidated shipments. Breaking down consolidated shipments to conduct screening is not practical because it creates a choke point at the airport cargo facility. The process of disassembling consolidated shipments, screening each piece and, finally, reconsolidating the pieces for loading in the belly of an aircraft would be both inefficient and cumbersome. Moreover, shipments of high-value items such as electronics and pharmaceuticals are packaged into tamper-evident consumer packaging at the manufacturers’ premises to ensure the integrity of the merchandise during transportation. From a time and efficiency standpoint, once the skids are secured for transportation, shipper packaging should not be broken to screen at the inner piece level. Canine screening is currently the only screening method that does not require pallets to be disassembled for screening, and is the most effective screening method for all types and configurations of cargo. That will be the case for the foreseeable future. As there are not enough TSA proprietary canines deployed at airports to screen such shipments on every wide-body passenger flight, additional screening measures that are both effective and efficient need to be implemented. The Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP) is such a measure. This program enables a high percentage of air cargo screening to be performed upstream in the supply chain. Under CCSP, screening can occur at the shippers’ or freight forwarders’ premises, where the cargo can be screened at the piece level as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires. It should be noted that CCSP participation can be a very practical but expensive solution. Freight forwarders and other supply-chain participants must purchase equipment and train employees to carry out the program. This will impose an additional financial burden on shippers and the forwarder industry, which should be taken into account. The voluntary nature of program participation should continue to be a key concept, allowing shippers the flexibility to choose where screening most efficiently occurs. The department needs to act immediately in three areas to achieve the air cargo screening mandate: Rapidly enlarge the number Certified Cargo Screening Facilities at large shippers, manufacturers, freight forwarders and other TSA-certified Indirect Air Carriers. Provide for additional federal funding or incentives (e.g., tax relief for privately purchased screening equipment) for all TSA-certified shippers, indirect air carriers and other qualified CCSP participants. This will enable small and medium-size companies to participate in the CCSP, and enable large companies to continue to invest in screening equipment and chain-of-custody protective measures. Swiftly expand the use of TSA-certified explosive-detection canines to screen large air cargo consolidations transported on passenger aircraft, and direct additional funding to the TSA proprietary canine cargo-screening program. We are committed to achieving the 100 percent screening mandate. The three initiatives described above will enable that statutory mandate to be realized on time and in a way that will minimize adverse affects on the shipping public. We ask that you support us in this endeavor. Sincerely, Marion C. Blakey President and CEO Aerospace Industries Association Doug Lavin Regional Vice President for North America International Air Transport Association James C. May President and CEO Air Transport Association Alan Mertz President American Clinical Laboratory Association Peter J. Moran Executive President and CEO Society of American Florists Tracy Mullin President and CEO National Retail Federation Thomas Zoeller President National Air Carrier Association cc: The Honorable Sheila Jackson-Lee The Honorable Charles Dent PubZone2	A4A advocates measures to support aviation safety, security and well-being.