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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radar - Term coined from the phrase Radio Detecting and Ranging. It is based on the principle that ultra-high frequency radio waves travel at a precise speed and are reflected from objects they strike. It is used to determine an object’s direction and distance.
ramp - The aircraft parking area at an airport, usually adjacent to a terminal.
regional airline - Airlines providing short- and medium-haul scheduled airline service typically connecting smaller communities with larger cities and hub airports and operating turboprops of 9-78 seats and jets of 30-108 seats. Arrangements with mainline partners commonly take the form of contract flying or pro-rate flying.
repair - To make an item serviceable by replacing or processing failed or damaged parts.
required navigation performance (RNP) - An operating standard that must be met for an aircraft to operate in certain areas of the NAS. RNP requires an aircraft to stay within a specific envelope of airspace and continuously monitor its performance.
required surveillance performance - A concept that defines the surveillance requirements according to the airspace involved. The surveillance system must provide the updated aircraft position in order to ensure a safe separation.
research, engineering and development - This capital account funds research intended to assure the safety, capacity and cost effectiveness of the air traffic control system, to meet growing demands and user requirements. The program has helped develop standards, regulations and guidance materials that support the FAA regulatory mission. Funded entirely by the AATF.
return on investment - Net profit plus interest expense (on long-term debt) divided by long-term debt plus stockholder equity (net worth).
revenue - Remuneration received by carriers for transportation activities.
revenue aircraft departure - Movement of an aircraft for the purpose of generating revenue.
revenue aircraft hour - One aircraft operated in revenue service for one hour; the most common measure of aircraft utilization. Also referred to as a block hour, which includes all time spent taxiing as well as airborne hours, or time in flight.
revenue aircraft mile - One aircraft in revenue service flown one mile; sometimes expressed as a revenue aircraft kilometer (RAK).
revenue management - The process an airline uses to optimize revenue across its system of flights. In this process airlines seek to determine the optimal mix of prices (yield management) and seats (inventory management). The goal is to maximize revenue per flight, or per network of flights, rather than per person.
revenue passenger enplanement - One fare-paying passenger - originating or connecting - boarding an aircraft with a unique flight coupon.
revenue passenger mile (RPM) - One fare-paying passenger transported one mile; the most common measure of demand for air travel. Sometimes measured as revenue passenger kilometers (RPK).
revenue per available seat mile - See unit revenue.
revenue ton mile (RTM) - One ton of revenue traffic (passenger and/or cargo) transported one mile. Sometimes measured in revenue ton kilometers (RTKs).
RNAV - See area navigation.
roll - A basic aircraft maneuver, used to rotate or turn the aircraft to one side along its longitudinal axis, created by an up or down motion of the wings.
rudder - A control surface, usually installed on the trailing edge of the vertical stabilizer of an aircraft, which controls the yaw motion of the aircraft - that is, the motion of the nose of the aircraft left and right.