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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

 A4A Testimony

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As the trade association for America's leading cargo and passenger airlines, A4A is called on frequently by Congress to testify. A4A testifies before Congressional committees on behalf of the industry A4A oral and written testimonies on behalf of its members can be found in this section (The oral delivery may have varied slightly from the written text and the content of these statements was current at the time that they were prepared. However, information in them may have changed with the passage of time). Upcoming hearings are also included.

ATA Testimony by SVP Sharon Pinkerton before the Senate Aviation Subcommittee on Aviation Fuels (7/28/2011)
Sharon Pinkerton, Senior Vice President for Legislative and Regulatory Policy testifies before the Senate Aviation Subcommittee on the importance of alternative fuels for the aviation industry and applauds the Subcommittee for their leadership.
Nancy Young, ATA's VP of Environment Affairs, Testifies before Congress on the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (7/27/2011)
Nancy N. Young, Vice President of Environmental Affairs, testifies before the House Aviation Subcommittee concerns regarding the unilateral and extraterritorial application of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) to ATA's member airlines a
ATA Testimony by Ben Hirst of Delta Air Lines Before the House Agriculture Committee on the Need to Strengthen Oversight of Commodities Markets (9/17/2009)
ATA testimony by Delta Air Lines Senior Vice President and General Counsel Ben Hirst before the House Agriculture Committee regarding the need to strengthen oversight of commodity derivative markets.
ATA Testimony by Ben Hirst of Delta Air Lines Before the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) (7/28/2009)
Ben Hirst, General Counsel of Delta Air Lines testified before the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on behalf of ATA regarding the devastating impact of high fuel prices and oil markets volatility.
ATA Testimony by CEO Jim May before the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee on Airlines' on Climate Change Commitments (6/9/2009)
The airline industry provides concrete suggestions for ways Congress can work towards enhancing energy independence and environmental protection, while ensuring that the economy gets back on track.
ATA Testimony by CEO Jim May Submitted to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in Response to Hearings on the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act of 2009 (4/29/2009)
ATA details the impacts that the draft American Clean Energy and Security (“ACES” or “Waxman-Markey”) Act would have on U.S. commercial aviation and also offers suggestions on alternative approaches to the climate change portion of...
ATA Testimony by EVPand COO John Meenan Before House T&I Aviation Subcommittee on Climate Change Impacts on the Transportation Sector (7/24/2008)
ATA provides an update on the status of aviation climate change efforts.
ATA Testimony by President and CEO Jim May Before House Select Committee on Global Warming and Energy Independence (7/23/2008)
ATA testifies in support of a balanced, comprehensive National Energy Policy, including a release from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
ATA Testimony by EVP and COO John Meenan before the Senate Commerce Committee on Climate Change Impacts on the Transportation Sector (6/24/2008)
ATA testimony regarding the impact of climate change on transportation and the continued efforts made by the airline industry to improve its environmental track record.
ATA Testimony by President and CEO Jim May before Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (6/17/2008)
ATA testimony concerning CFTC energy markets oil futures contracts oversight.
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A4A advocates measures to support aviation safety, security and well-being.

What the Experts Say:
“Urgent, concrete action by the United States is needed to overturn the EU ETS and bring the EU back to the negotiating table in support of a global framework. The United States, in its role as a world leader, must wield the tools it has to remove the wrong measure in favor of the right one.”
Nancy Young, vice president of environmental affairs, A4A, A4A

​A4A Press Release

06/06/2012
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T: 202.626.4000 | E: a4a@airlines.org

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