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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mail ton mile (MTM) - A ton of mail moved one mile. It is the standard measure of air mail activity; sometimes expressed as a mail ton kilometer (MTK).
maintenance - Those actions required for restoring or maintaining an item in serviceable condition, including servicing, repair, modification, overhaul, inspection and determination of condition.
major carrier - An airline with annual operating revenues of more than $1 billion, as defined by the Department of Transportation.
Man-Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS) - Surface-to-air, heat-seeking missiles.
metric ton - A unit of weight equal to 1,000 kilograms, or 2,240.6 pounds.
metroplex - A group of two or more adjacent aerodromes whose arrival and departure operations are highly interdependent.
microjet - See very light jet.
minimum equipment list - A FAA-mandated list of aircraft equipment that must be functioning before an aircraft may legally take off with passengers. Repairs to some items not essential to an aircraft’s airworthiness may be deferred for limited periods of time approved by the FAA.
Multilateral Agreement on the Liberalization of Air Transportation - (Negotiated October 31 to November 2, 2000 in Kona, Hawaii; signed May 1, 2001, in Washington, D.C.; entered into force December 21, 2001) An agreement to promote open skies between signatory countries. The agreement allows for full schedule freedom, open traffic rights including seventh-freedom cargo rights, no capacity controls, greater investment (while protecting against “flag of convenience” airlines), multiple airline designation, third-country code sharing, and a minimal tariff filing regime. Signatories are: Brunei, Chile, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Samoa, Singapore, Tonga and the United States of America. In addition, Peru was a signatory to MALIAT but withdrew on January 15, 2005. The Protocol to MALIAT provides for parties to exchange seventh-freedom passenger and sabotage rights. Signatories to the Protocol are: Brunei, Chile, Cook Islands, New Zealand and Singapore.