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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U.S. flag carrier - One of a class of air carriers holding a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and approved by the president, authorizing scheduled operations over specified routes between the United States (and/or its territories) and one or more foreign countries.
UK-NATS - An entity providing air traffic control services to aircraft flying in United Kingdom (U.K.) airspace. A public/private partnership between a consortium of seven U.K. airlines (42 percent), NATS staff (five percent), U.K. airport operator BAA plc (four percent) and the U.K. government (49 percent) and a golden share.
uncommitted balance - Surplus revenues in the Airport and Airway Trust Fund against which no commitments, in the form of budget authority, have been made. This measure provides the most widely accepted estimate of the money available in the Trust Fund for new appropriations for aviation purposes.
unit revenue - The average amount of revenue received by the airline per unit of capacity available for sale. Most often used to measure the effectiveness with which revenue-management activity balances price and volume to generate passenger revenue per ASM, known as PRASM or RASM.
unit revenue - The average amount of revenue received by an airline per unit of capacity available for sale. Most often used to measure the effectiveness with which revenue-management activity balances price and volume to generate passenger revenue per ASM, known as PRASM (sometimes short-handed as RASM). Some analysts observe passenger unit revenue only; others monitor at total operating unit revenue (TRASM), depending on the purpose of the analysis.
United States Visitor and Immigrant Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) - A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) immigration and border-management system that collects biometric identifiers from foreign travelers to determine whether they pose a risk to the United States.
Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) - An aircraft with no pilot onboard or at the controls. Instead, the aircraft is controlled from outside of the aircraft (e.g., from the ground, another aircraft or space), by an onboard flight-control program or by a combination of offboard and onboard controls. A UAS includes the aircraft and its flight control system and operator.
unobligated balance - The portion of federal budget authority not designated as payment for specific products or services. In one-year accounts, the unobligated balance expires at the end of the fiscal year it was made available. In multiyear accounts, it remains available for obligation for the specified number of years.
user fee - A fee charged to users of goods or services.