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 13%
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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Sabotage Convention and Montreal Protocol - (Montreal, September 23, 1971) Formally called the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation. The Sabotage Convention goes beyond the Hijacking Convention by containing separate definitions of what constitutes an offense onboard aircraft, and specifying when that aircraft is “in service.” The Sabotage Convention places additional international legal obligations on states to act against a wider range of offenses involving aircraft. The United States ratified the Sabotage Convention on November 1, 1972. On February 24, 1988, an ICAO conference opened for signature a Protocol to amend the Montreal Convention of 1971. The Protocol provides for suppression of unlawful acts of violence at airports serving international civil aviation. A signatory to the Protocol, which finds an alleged perpetrator on its territory, must either take that person into custody for the purpose of prosecution, or proceed with extradition. The United States ratified the Airport Terrorism Protocol on November 18, 1994.
scheduled service - Transport service based on published flight schedules, including extra sections.
seat pitch - The distance between seats in an aircraft’s passenger cabin as measured from any point on a given seat to the corresponding point on the seat in front of or behind it.
Secure Flight - A behind-the-scenes program implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) that prescreens all passengers by matching passenger data against U.S. government watch lists.
separation minima - The minimum displacements between an aircraft and a hazard, including another aircraft, that maintain the risk of collision at an acceptable level of safety.
serious injury - An injury that requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours, commencing within seven days from the date when the injury was received; results in a bone fracture (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or nose); involves lacerations that cause severe hemorrhages, nerve, muscle, or tendon damage; involves injury to any internal organ; or involves second- or third-degree burns or any burns affecting more than five percent of the body surface.
simulator - A ground-based device used to train pilots that simulates flight scenarios, including emergency situations.
Simultaneous Offset Instrument Approach (SOIA) - A technique by which two planes can land on runways located closer than the current FAA specification (4,300 feet) for simultaneous landings.
situational awareness - Refers to a service provider’s or operator’s ability to identify, process and comprehend important information about what is happening with regard to the operation. Airborne traffic situational awareness is an aspect of overall situational awareness for the flight crew of an aircraft operating in proximity to other aircraft.
slats - Special surfaces attached to or actually part of the leading edge of the aircraft wing. During takeoff and landing, they are extended to produce extra lift.
small certificated air carrier - An air carrier holding a certificate issued under section 41102 of Title 49 of the U.S. Code that provides scheduled passenger air service with small aircraft (maximum passenger capacity of 60 seats or fewer or a payload capacity of 18,000 pounds or fewer).
special use airspace (SUA) - A part of airspace that is reserved for flight operations that are not in a normal category. The aircraft participating in the SUA activities are separated from other controlled traffic by the boundaries of the SUA airspace. In some cases, nonparticipating aircraft may enter SUA, but have limitations imposed on their operations. Generally, SUA is used for military activity, but civilians use such airspace to test new aircraft. The space program is also a large user of SUA.
specification - A statement contained in an ATA publication that describes the functional or physical characteristics of a process, service or item that is the subject of the publication. Often referred to as a “spec.”
speed brakes - Also known as air brakes, they are surfaces that are normally flush with the aircraft wing or fuselage in which they are mounted, but which can be extended into the airflow to create more drag and slow the aircraft.
spoilers - Special panels built into the upper surface of the aircraft wing that, when raised, spoil the flow of air across the wing and thereby reduce the amount of lift generated. They are useful for expediting a descent and for slowing the aircraft when it lands.
Stage 2 Aircraft - Term used to describe jets which meet Stage 2 Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 36 noise parameters on takeoff and landing.
Stage 3 Aircraft - Term used to describe aircraft that meet the Stage 3 noise requirements as specified in FAR Part 36. The Stage 3 requirements specify noise levels that must be certified for the aircraft type at each of three measuring points (flyover, lateral and approach), with the levels varying based on the number of engines and weight of the aircraft. Under U.S. law, but for a few, limited exceptions, all commercial jet aircraft weighing more than 75,000 pounds and operating in the U.S. were required to meet the Stage 3 requirements as of December 31, 1999.
Stage 4 Aircraft - In July 2005, the FAA issued a final rule to adopt the ICAO Chapter 4 standard as the new U.S. Stage 4 standard. Under Stage 4, new type design aircraft certified on or after January 1, 2006, have to be 10 decibels quieter (as measured at the specified flyover, lateral, and approach points) than the previous Stage 3 noise standard required. As it applies to new type designs only, this certification standard does not apply to pre-existing aircraft or to the continued production of types previously certified.
stage length - The distance traveled by an aircraft from takeoff to landing. Average stage length is computed as the ratio of aircraft miles (or kilometers) to aircraft departures.
stall - Results when the wing's airflow is disrupted, and the wing no longer produces lift, with sudden drop and possible loss of control.
supersonic flight - Flight at speeds greater than the speed of sound, which varies according to altitude but which exceeds 700 miles per hour at sea level.
supplemental air carrier - An air carrier authorized to perform passenger and cargo charter services.
System Wide Information Management (SWIM) - An advanced technology program designed to facilitate greater sharing of air traffic management (ATM) system information, such as airport operational status, weather information, flight data, status of special-use airspace, and national airspace system (NAS) restrictions. SWIM will support current and future NAS programs by providing flexible and secure information-management architecture for sharing NAS information. SWIM will use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software to support a service-oriented architecture (SOA) that will facilitate the addition of new systems and data exchanges, and increase common situational awareness.
systemwide - The entire route system of an airline, including both domestic and international operations.