Commercial Airlines Environmentally Efficient: Economic Drivers

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

	Commercial Airlines Environmentally Efficient: Economic Drivers
	PubZone1 The growth of our national economy is dependent on the growth of U.S. air transportation. U.S. airlines drove $1.1 trillion in economic activity in 2010 and employed over 10 million people, contributing more than 5 percent of U.S. gross economic output. Yet the airlines account for only 2 percent of the nation’s man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and they shepherd the fuel that they burn and the resulting emissions to highly efficient use. With fuel as their greatest cost center, our airlines are inherently motivated to achieve ever-greater fuel efficiency, bringing the airlines’ economic and environmental goals together. Commercial airlines are critical economic catalysts. In 2010, air shipments accounted for almost a third of the value of all exports, more than any other transportation sector. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics confirms that air shipments account for nearly $1 billion per day in international trade. The value of freight carried by aircraft is 89 times the value of freight carried by trucks. Air transportation is essential to the optimization of supply chains, and reduces the need for other, higher-emitting forms of transportation. Airlines are highly economical and carbon efficient in moving people and critical goods. U. S. commercial airlines improved fuel efficiency by over 120 percent between 1978 and 2011, resulting in over 3.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) savings - roughly equivalent to taking 22 million cars off the road each year. Between 2000 and2011, the U.S. airlines reduced GHG emissions by 11 percent while transporting 16 percent more passengers and cargo (measured on a revenue ton mile basis). A4A airlines have joined the world’s airlines in committing to an additional 1.5 percent annual fuel efficiency improvement through 2020, and to making any growth emissions “carbon neutral” thereafter. In addition to spending tens of billions of dollars to replace aircraft with new, more fuel-efficient models, our industry continues to invest billions of dollars more in new engines, airframes, winglets, fan blades and other design features that improve efficiency. “Air transportation is a crucial enabler of U.S. economic activity. It facilitates the movement of business personnel, serves as a key input into fast-growing industries such as tourism, and allows the vital interactions necessary to sustain many modern, high-technology, service industries. It performs a central role in meeting the evolving trading needs of the United States, as internationalization and globalization become increasingly important to the nation’s economy.” The Taxation of Air Transportation Transportation Policy, Operations and Logistics Center School of Public Policy at George Mason University April 2007 PubZone2	A4A supports a truly comprehensive, meaningfully balanced U.S. energy policy and is committed to protecting our planet.