Recycling - A Partnership Between Airlines, Airports and Communities

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

	Recycling - A Partnership Between Airlines, Airports and Communities
	PubZone1 Our airlines’ commitment to continual environmental improvement extends to all areas, including expanding recycling programs throughout all of our operations. Several of our members have implemented system-wide recycling programs, including the sorting of recyclable materials on-board the aircraft. Other members have implemented successful programs that are less obvious to the passenger – in some cases sending the trash that is removed from the aircraft at hubs to facilities where recyclable materials are sorted and separated from the trash for recycling. Other measures include efforts to reduce the amount of waste generated, such as working with caterers to reduce packaging and increase recycling. However, expanding and maintaining successful recycling programs presents many challenges, largely due to variations in local community practices in the destinations to which the airlines fly. Aircraft operate at many different airports throughout the country, in communities that often have unique and sometimes conflicting recycling programs, if recycling is available in the community at all. Airport recycling programs are, in turn, dictated by varying state and local laws, as well as the availability of infrastructure to support a recycling program. And yet the airlines do not practicably have the option of ferrying around trash and recyclables from place to place until a recycling-friendly destination is reached, for cleanliness reasons and also because carrying extra weight on board increases fuel burn and emissions. A4A and its carriers are working closely with the airports to address these local infrastructure issues to make recycling of on-board recyclables more available. In fact, we have held joint meetings with airport association representatives and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop strategies for overcoming the infrastructure challenges to system-wide recycling. Also, based on a proposal made jointly by A4A and Airports Council International-North America, the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP), under the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board, is undertaking a research project to identify additional opportunities and actions that airlines and airports can take to improve and facilitate the recycling of materials from aircraft. We’re committed to continuing to find opportunities, big and small, to increase the amount of material we recycle. PubZone2	A4A supports a truly comprehensive, meaningfully balanced U.S. energy policy and is committed to protecting our planet.