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

Glossary

Events section: man under wing refueling a plane

The ATA glossary includes a list of commonly used aviation terms/acronyms and definitions.

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earnings - See net income.
economic impact - With regard to a specific industry or sector, the sum of first-level (i.e., sales, revenue, output) and induced (purchases required to produce the sales or output and household spending by the industry’s employees) impacts. In the case of commercial aviation, primary impacts on the U.S. economy are related to: airlines and supporting services; aircraft, engines and parts manufacturing; and air visitor travel and other trip-related expenditures.
Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) - An automated system that allows the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.
elevator - A control surface, usually on the trailing edge of the horizontal stabilizer, which is used to control the pitch attitude of an aircraft. Movement of the elevator will force the nose of an aircraft up or down.
empennage - A collective term that refers to all of the various tail surfaces of an aircraft, i.e., the vertical and horizontal stabilizers.
employees - Private air transportation workers as classified in sub-sector 481 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); includes U.S.-based employees of non-U.S. carriers.
en route - A term that refers to the middle portion of a flight (neither arrival nor departure) when the aircraft is communicating with center controllers.
En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) - A computer system used at FAA high-altitude en route centers, considered the backbone of the nation's airspace system. it processes flight radar data, provides communications and generates display date to air traffic controllers. ERAM has increased flexibility in routing around congestion, weather and other airspace restrictions. Automatic flight coordination increases efficiency and capacity. The current system, called the Host, is being replaced by ERAM.
en route center - Sometimes referred to as a center or an air route traffic control center, it houses the air traffic controllers and equipment needed to identify and direct aircraft during the en route - as opposed to the approach and departure - portion of their flights.
engine - The source of propulsion and electrical power for the aircraft.
enplanement - See revenue passenger enplanement.
entered into force - Signifies the date when an international agreement or amendment entered into force definitively, following completion of all necessary ratification procedures of each country and confirmation by the governments in an exchange of diplomatic notes.
environmental damage - With respect to an aircraft or its parts, refers to physical deterioration of item strength or resistance to failure as a result of chemical interaction with its climate or environment.
essential air service (EAS) - Government-subsidized airline service to rural areas of the United States, which began after the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978.
excise tax - A tax levied on a good, service or activity.
expect departure clearance time - The time issued for a flight to indicate when it can expect to receive departure clearance.