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
November 14, 2007The Honorable Mary E. Peters SecretaryU.S. Department of Transportation1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.Washington, DC 20590Dear Secretary Peters:While we fully appreciate the difficult position that the Department faces to identify solutions to combat delays at JFK airport, we strongly urge you to focus on solutions other than instituting unreasonable caps on U.S. airlines at JFK or implementing congestion pricing. Either of these “solutions” are fraught with negative and unintended consequences. Quite simply – these “solutions” will raise airfares, undermine sacrifices already made by U.S. workers, and do little to relieve congestion in the long term.We believe there are steps that can be taken immediately that may meet your intended objective without imposing the economic harm that will most assuredly follow if either the path of forced unrealistic reduction or congestion pricing is taken. Specifically, we urge you to endorse the time tested market approach followed in the rest of the world under the Worldwide Schedule Guidelines. This approach is a fair and transparent way to control congestion and also ensure that slots are used efficiently by allowing the marketplace to work.In addition, we support the immediate appointment of a senior-level appointee or “czar” to direct resources to ensure timely implementation of possible solutions. By all accounts, the appointment of a Florida czar in the spring of 2005 proved to be the difference between success and failure in reducing Ft. Lauderdale airspace congestion through a systemic, expeditious process. As pointed out in the November 6 edition of the Wall Street Journal – the FAA’s math does not make sense. How can New York's La Guardia Airport with two runways handle 81 operations – and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport with four runways, handle only 80 flights per hour? By the FAA’s reckoning, two additional runways translates into one less operation an hour. Something is amiss and it is our hope that an individual with laser focus on the problem can work with all stakeholders to find alternative solutions.Other capacity improvements that should be pursued include the following:
Clearly this is a complex problem and one where the “silver bullet” solution of congestion pricing would ultimately simply damage the U.S. economy and the New York economy in particular. We believe that the solutions we have identified can meet the objective without causing economic harm. We look forward to continuing the dialogue with you.Sincerely,James C. MayPresident and CEOATA John PraterPresidentALPA