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
WASHINGTON, December 7, 2011 – Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, formerly known as the Air Transport Association, today commended Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) for introducing a bill that would prohibit U.S. aircraft operators from participating in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) because the scheme violates international law and U.S. sovereignty. The legislation would also seek to hold operators harmless from the scheme. The Senate bill is similar to the bipartisan legislation passed by the full House of Representatives on Oct. 25, 2011.“We commend Senator Thune for his leadership in joining the Administration and his colleagues in the House of Representatives in opposing the application of the EU ETS to U.S. airlines, as it is both illegal and bad policy. Subjecting airlines to the EU’s unilateral system will be counterproductive to helping the environment, result in the loss of U.S. jobs, and hamper airlines’ ability to invest in new aircraft and continue their extensive efforts to reduce their environmental impact,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. The Senate bill comes less than a week after President Obama told EU officials that that he opposes the EU scheme. The congressional action also follows the ICAO Council adoption last month of a declaration opposing the unilateral application of the EU ETS on international aviation and urging continued collaborative action on the global sectoral approach. “There is no question that this country and the rest of the world are united against the EU’s unilateral and counterproductive scheme,” Calio said.A4A is part of an industrywide aviation coalition that has committed to continuing the industry’s strong record of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings and has proposed the adoption of a global sectoral approach by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations body charged with setting standards for international aviation. In October 2010, ICAO adopted a resolution with targets and principles broadly consistent with the industry’s approach, demonstrating that the industry and governments are coalescing around a common platform for addressing aviation GHG emissions at the global level.A4A, which brought a legal action against the EU’s unilateral action in 2009 on behalf of all of its members, promotes adoption of the global sectoral approach. The European Court of Justice is expected to issue a decision on the case before the end of the year, although many countries have vowed to continue to oppose the EU’s unilateral scheme regardless of the outcome in the private cause of action.A coalition of 15 industry groups issued a letter to senators urging support of the legislation. ABOUT A4AAnnually, commercial aviation helps drive more than $1 trillion in U.S. economic activity and more than 10 million U.S. jobs. A4A airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For more information about the airline industry, visit www.airlines.org and follow us on Twitter @airlinesdotorg.