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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 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

 Energy - Fuel Prices

Plane flying over a field


Jet-Fuel Price Volatility
Planning is difficult when airlines’ largest cost center remains its most volatile.  The Argus US Jet Fuel Index provides a composite daily price for Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York.
Read More

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This section includes historical statistics on oil and jet fuel prices, as well as airline industry consumption, expenses and fuel efficiency.
A4A Jet-Fuel Cost and Consumption Report
Market and paid prices for U.S. passenger and cargo airlines since January 1986
 
Fuel Efficiency of the U.S. Airlines
Continuing the industry's track record will require reforming ATC systems

Annual Crude Oil and Jet Fuel Prices
Annual Crude Oil and Jet Fuel Prices

A4A Presentation: Industry Review and Outlook
A4A charts and graphs review recent trends and current economic forces shaping the U.S. airline industry

 

A4A Says It’s “Major Madness” to Not Already Have NextGen in Place (4/1/2013)
A4A released it’s bracket for the 2013 NCAA® March Madness® tournament, noting that no matter which team ends up the champion, with a NextGen modernized air traffic control system in place, we all win.
A4A Launches National Airline Policy Campaign to Help Ensure Global Competitiveness of U.S. Airline Industry (12/5/2012)
A4A launched a campaign for a National Airline Policy.
A4A Commends the U.S. Navy for its Ongoing Commitment to Biofuels, ‘Great Green Fleet’ Demonstration (7/19/2012)
A4A today commended the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its ongoing commitment to development and use of biofuels in its “Great Green Fleet” demonstration, which included flights powered by advanced biofuels.
A4A Commends New U.S. Government Investment in Advanced Biofuels (7/2/2012)
A4A today commended the U.S. departments of Agriculture and Energy, and the Navy for announcing an investment of up to $30 million in a public-private partnership to produce commercial-scale advanced drop-in biofuels.
A4A Calls on U.S. Government to Block EU ETS (6/6/2012)
A4A today called on the United States to take immediate action to halt the application of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), which seeks to unlawfully tax U.S. airlines.
Aviation Coalition Urges the Senate to Allow Continued DOD Work on Alternative Aviation Fuels (5/23/2012)
A4A has joined its aviation colleagues in asking the Senate to allow continued DOD work on alternative aviation fuels to achieve our nation’s energy security goals as well as enable the continued leveraging of progress on commercial aviation fuels.
A4A Lauds the Formation of Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative (5/23/2012)
A4A today commended the formation of the Midwest Aviation Sustainable Biofuels Initiative (MASBI) to accelerate the commercial viability and deployment of alternative aviation fuel in the United States.
Coalition letter to the Defense Subcommittee to urge their support to fund production of biofuels for use in the military (5/10/2012)
A4A and associations in energy and biofuels urge the House and Senate Defense Subcommittees to support funding to accelerate the production of American-made, biofuels for use in military jets, ships and vehicles.
This coalition urges House and Senate House Armed Services leadership to support funding for biofuels for the military (5/10/2012)
A4A and associations in energy and biofuels urge the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to support funding to accelerate the production of American-made, biofuels for use in military jets, ships and vehicles.
Coalition Letter to Senators Inouye and Cochran Requesting Funds for the Defense Production Act (DPA) Fund (4/25/2012)
This Coalition is writing the Appropriations Committee to urge the inclusion of language that would allow the DOE to transfer funds to the DFA fund. These funds would help develop alternative fuels to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
1 - 10 Next

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A4A supports a truly comprehensive, meaningfully balanced U.S. energy policy and is committed to protecting our planet.

Related Links
Bloomberg Energy Prices
CAAFI
CFTC
Consumer Energy Alliance
DOE: Energy Sources
Energy Info Administration
FAA Environment and Energy R&D
FERC
Stop Oil Speculation Now
Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Airline Handbook Chapter 10: Energy and Environmental Matters
Transportation Energy Data
What the Experts Say:
“The way we are going to reduce our emissions is to buy more fuel-efficient aircraft [and] to do more research and development in new technologies.”
Sean Kennedy, senior vice president of global government affairs, A4A

​Sky News

07/31/2012
Commodities
Crude Oil 96.56 - 0.06%
Natural Gas 3.96 - 0.45%
Gasoline 2.86 + 0.34%
Heating Oil 2.92 +0.12%
Gold 1472.39 + 1.50%
Silver 23.91 + 0.21%
Copper 3.37 + 2.12%
2013.05.08 end-of-day » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 96.56 - 0.06%
Natural Gas 3.96 - 0.45%
Gasoline 2.86 + 0.34%
Heating Oil 2.92 +0.12%
Gold 1472.39 + 1.50%
Silver 23.91 + 0.21%
Copper 3.37 + 2.12%
2013.05.08 end-of-day » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 96.56 - 0.06%
Natural Gas 3.96 - 0.45%
Gasoline 2.86 + 0.34%
Heating Oil 2.92 +0.12%
Gold 1472.39 + 1.50%
Silver 23.91 + 0.21%
Copper 3.37 + 2.12%
2013.05.08 end-of-day » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 96.56 - 0.06%
Natural Gas 3.96 - 0.45%
Gasoline 2.86 + 0.34%
Heating Oil 2.92 +0.12%
Gold 1472.39 + 1.50%
Silver 23.91 + 0.21%
Copper 3.37 + 2.12%
2013.05.08 end-of-day » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 96.56 - 0.06%
Natural Gas 3.96 - 0.45%
Gasoline 2.86 + 0.34%
Heating Oil 2.92 +0.12%
Gold 1472.39 + 1.50%
Silver 23.91 + 0.21%
Copper 3.37 + 2.12%
2013.05.08 end-of-day » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 96.56 - 0.06%
Natural Gas 3.96 - 0.45%
Gasoline 2.86 + 0.34%
Heating Oil 2.92 +0.12%
Gold 1472.39 + 1.50%
Silver 23.91 + 0.21%
Copper 3.37 + 2.12%
2013.05.08 end-of-day » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 96.56 - 0.06%
Natural Gas 3.96 - 0.45%
Gasoline 2.86 + 0.34%
Heating Oil 2.92 +0.12%
Gold 1472.39 + 1.50%
Silver 23.91 + 0.21%
Copper 3.37 + 2.12%
2013.05.08 end-of-day » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 96.56 - 0.06%
Natural Gas 3.96 - 0.45%
Gasoline 2.86 + 0.34%
Heating Oil 2.92 +0.12%
Gold 1472.39 + 1.50%
Silver 23.91 + 0.21%
Copper 3.37 + 2.12%
2013.05.08 end-of-day » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 96.56 - 0.06%
Natural Gas 3.96 - 0.45%
Gasoline 2.86 + 0.34%
Heating Oil 2.92 +0.12%
Gold 1472.39 + 1.50%
Silver 23.91 + 0.21%
Copper 3.37 + 2.12%
2013.05.08 end-of-day » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.11 + 3.44%
Natural Gas 3.10 + 0.19%
Gasoline 2.57 + 3.41%
Heating Oil 2.86 + 2.70%
Gold 1614.97 + 1.34%
Silver 29.48 + 2.28%
Copper 3.37 + 1.89%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.11 + 3.44%
Natural Gas 3.10 + 0.19%
Gasoline 2.57 + 3.41%
Heating Oil 2.86 + 2.70%
Gold 1614.97 + 1.34%
Silver 29.48 + 2.28%
Copper 3.37 + 1.89%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.11 + 3.44%
Natural Gas 3.10 + 0.19%
Gasoline 2.57 + 3.41%
Heating Oil 2.86 + 2.70%
Gold 1614.97 + 1.34%
Silver 29.48 + 2.28%
Copper 3.37 + 1.89%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 94.24 + 0.76%
Natural Gas 3.06 - 2.24%
Gasoline 2.52 + 1.53%
Heating Oil 2.83 + 1.12%
Gold 1604.39 + 0.34%
Silver 29.30 - 1.11%
Copper 3.32 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 94.24 + 0.76%
Natural Gas 3.06 - 2.24%
Gasoline 2.52 + 1.53%
Heating Oil 2.83 + 1.12%
Gold 1604.39 + 0.34%
Silver 29.30 - 1.11%
Copper 3.32 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 94.24 + 0.76%
Natural Gas 3.06 - 2.24%
Gasoline 2.52 + 1.53%
Heating Oil 2.83 + 1.12%
Gold 1604.39 + 0.34%
Silver 29.30 - 1.11%
Copper 3.32 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 99.18 + 2.49%
Natural Gas 3.65 - 0.49%
Gasoline 2.54 + 3.44%
Heating Oil 3.00 + 2.01%
Gold 1714.02 + 1.98%
Silver 32.12 + 3.50%
Copper 3.38 + 3.08%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 95.91 - 0.27%
Natural Gas 3.66 + 1.30%
Gasoline 2.50 - 0.62%
Heating Oil 2.96 - 0.42%
Gold 1689.15 - 0.36%
Silver 31.12 - 2.45%
Copper 3.27 - 0.58%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 95.39 - 0.81%
Natural Gas 3.67 + 1.58%
Gasoline 2.50 - 0.88%
Heating Oil 2.96 - 0.51%
Gold 1679.89 - 0.90%
Silver 31.05 - 2.69%
Copper 3.27 - 0.53%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.41 - 1.43%
Natural Gas 3.32 + 0.18%
Gasoline 2.49 + 0.48%
Heating Oil 3.05 + 0.55%
Gold 1723.90 + 0.27%
Silver 32.42 +0.12%
Copper 3.40 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.41 - 1.43%
Natural Gas 3.32 + 0.18%
Gasoline 2.49 + 0.48%
Heating Oil 3.05 + 0.55%
Gold 1723.90 + 0.27%
Silver 32.42 +0.12%
Copper 3.40 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.41 - 1.43%
Natural Gas 3.32 + 0.18%
Gasoline 2.49 + 0.48%
Heating Oil 3.05 + 0.55%
Gold 1723.90 + 0.27%
Silver 32.42 +0.12%
Copper 3.40 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.41 - 1.43%
Natural Gas 3.32 + 0.18%
Gasoline 2.49 + 0.48%
Heating Oil 3.05 + 0.55%
Gold 1723.90 + 0.27%
Silver 32.42 +0.12%
Copper 3.40 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.41 - 1.43%
Natural Gas 3.32 + 0.18%
Gasoline 2.49 + 0.48%
Heating Oil 3.05 + 0.55%
Gold 1723.90 + 0.27%
Silver 32.42 +0.12%
Copper 3.40 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.41 - 1.43%
Natural Gas 3.32 + 0.18%
Gasoline 2.49 + 0.48%
Heating Oil 3.05 + 0.55%
Gold 1723.90 + 0.27%
Silver 32.42 +0.12%
Copper 3.40 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.41 - 1.43%
Natural Gas 3.32 + 0.18%
Gasoline 2.49 + 0.48%
Heating Oil 3.05 + 0.55%
Gold 1723.90 + 0.27%
Silver 32.42 +0.12%
Copper 3.40 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.41 - 1.43%
Natural Gas 3.32 + 0.18%
Gasoline 2.49 + 0.48%
Heating Oil 3.05 + 0.55%
Gold 1723.90 + 0.27%
Silver 32.42 +0.12%
Copper 3.40 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.41 - 1.43%
Natural Gas 3.32 + 0.18%
Gasoline 2.49 + 0.48%
Heating Oil 3.05 + 0.55%
Gold 1723.90 + 0.27%
Silver 32.42 +0.12%
Copper 3.40 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.41 - 1.43%
Natural Gas 3.32 + 0.18%
Gasoline 2.49 + 0.48%
Heating Oil 3.05 + 0.55%
Gold 1723.90 + 0.27%
Silver 32.42 +0.12%
Copper 3.40 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.41 - 1.43%
Natural Gas 3.32 + 0.18%
Gasoline 2.49 + 0.48%
Heating Oil 3.05 + 0.55%
Gold 1723.90 + 0.27%
Silver 32.42 +0.12%
Copper 3.40 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.45 + 0.04%
Natural Gas 3.32 +0.12%
Gasoline 2.49 + 0.44%
Heating Oil 3.04 + 0.20%
Gold 1723.35 + 0.24%
Silver 32.31 - 0.32%
Copper 3.41 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.45 + 0.04%
Natural Gas 3.32 +0.12%
Gasoline 2.48 +0.12%
Heating Oil 3.04 +0.12%
Gold 1723.05 + 0.22%
Silver 32.35 - 0.19%
Copper 3.41 +0.12%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 97.44 - 1.40%
Natural Gas 3.29 - 3.40%
Gasoline 2.49 - 0.82%
Heating Oil 3.05 - 1.08%
Gold 1725.42 + 0.36%
Silver 32.39 - 0.08%
Copper 3.41 + 0.15%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
Commodities
Crude Oil 92.83 - 0.39%
Natural Gas 3.93 +0.12%
Gasoline 2.60 +0.12%
Heating Oil 3.05 - 0.21%
Gold 1721.60 - 1.26%
Silver 34.35 +0.12%
Copper 3.62 - 0.25%
Quotes delayed 15 min. » Add to your site
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