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  • 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

 Customers - Cargo

Customers queued at ticket desk

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​>>Cargo
Cargo refers to anything other than passengers, carried for hire, including both mail and freight. This section provides policy and regulatory information related to air cargo topics such as hazardous cargo, U.S. mail and other items. Also included are useful links to government agencies that regulate air cargo, common cargo terms and definitions, and other resources that provide information about air cargo.
Helpful Links to Government Agencies
Links to government resources related to various rules and regulations that apply to air cargo.

A4A Supports Meehan Amendment Requiring Competitive Impact Review of CBP Preclearance Facility Agreements (5/15/2013)
A4A applauds Meehan Amendment Requiring Competitive Impact Review of CBP Preclearance Facility Agreements.
Airlines for America Commends House Passage of the “Reducing Flight Delays Act” (4/26/2013)
A4A commended leadership in the U.S. House for passing the "Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013"
Airlines for America Commends Senate for Passing Measure to End Air Traffic Controller Furloughs (4/25/2013)
A4A commended leadership in the U.S. Senate for passing a bill to halt air traffic controller furloughs that this week alone have delayed some 4,000 flights, impacting hundreds of thousands of customers.
A4A Statement on Current FAA-Imposed Flight Delays - April 24, 2013 (4/24/2013)
A4A issued a statement on current FAA-imposed flight delays.
A4A Seeks to Halt FAA Furloughs to Protect Passengers and Shippers (4/19/2013)
A4A today filed legal action to prevent the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from furloughing air traffic controllers and from implementing widespread ground stops that the agency reported would cause delays of up to four hours at major hub airports
A4A Commends Blunt Bill, Requiring the FAA to Identify and Maintain Federal Services Essential to Air Travel (4/15/2013)
A4A lauded a bill introduced today by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) that will enable federal employees, such as air traffic controllers, to continue to provide vital services despite the budget sequestration.
A4A Says Senate-Passed Budget Hikes TSA Passenger Tax, Adds Insult to Injury for Airlines and Customers (3/23/2013)
A4A expressed strong opposition to a provision within the Senate-passed budget resolution, which immediately doubles, and eventually triples the TSA passenger security tax.
Travelers Pay for System, Let It Work (3/19/2013)
A4A President and CEO Nicholas Calio responds to the National Journal Transportation Blog, "It's a Sin to Fly."
A4A Supports Blunt Amendment Providing Agencies with Funding Flexibility So Services Essential to Air Travel Are Maintained (3/13/2013)
A4A supported an amendment offered by Sen. Roy Blunt to provide federal agencies flexibility to determine which employees are essential personnel, and minimize the impact to services essential to air travel as they implement budget cuts from sequestration
Sequester Shouldn’t Affect Air Travel (2/26/2013)
A4A President and CEO Nicholas Calio responds to the National Journal Transportation Blog, "The Airport Canary in the Sequestration Coal Mine."
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The U.S. aviation system is the largest and most extensive aviation system in the world.

What the Experts Say:
“It is no exaggeration to say that commercial aviation is an important component of the very foundation of our nation's economy safely transporting people and cargo on millions of flights each year and generating enormous revenues for multiple sectors of the economy.”
Sean Cassidy, first vice president, ALPA

​Oral Testimony to the Committee on Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation

06/06/2012
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