A4A Forecasts Decrease in Winter Holiday Air Travelers

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

	A4A Forecasts Decrease in Winter Holiday Air Travelers
	PubZone1 WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2011 – Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, formerly known as the Air Transport Association, today estimated that the upcoming holiday travel period will see fewer fliers than a year ago due to lingering economic concerns; however, flights are still expected to be full, as airlines have adjusted capacity in response to rising cost pressures. In total, A4A expects about 43.3 million air travelers to fly on U.S. carriers’ domestic and international routes during a 21-day period^[1] – a 1 percent drop from the same period last year – or about 20,000 fewer travelers per day, on average. Daily passenger volumes are expected to range from 1.6 million to 2.3 million during the holiday. The busiest days are expected to be between Dec. 21-23, Dec. 26-30 and Jan. 2 and 3, based on sample data from the 2009 and 2010 winter holiday periods. On the busiest days, average load factors may top 85 percent. “This holiday season will see a traffic decrease consistent with the slowdown reported in recent months,” said A4A Vice President and Chief Economist John Heimlich. “Passengers still should expect to see full flights as many airlines have reduced capacity to match the decline in travel and increased cost of operations. Capacity reduction is one of the steps the industry is taking to preserve profitability.” Airline and Passenger Preparedness During the busy holiday travel season, passengers are encouraged to check their flight status at their air carrier’s website before leaving for the airport, and to remember to arrive early to allow plenty of time for check-in and security screening. In addition, A4A encourages passengers to consult its resource page for recommended travel tips. “America’s airlines are committed to getting customers to their destinations safely and have plans in place to minimize delay and inconvenience during winter weather challenges,” said A4A Senior Vice President for Safety, Security and Operations Tom Hendricks. “Airlines continue to invest significant resources in new processes, procedures and technologies in order to strengthen communication with customers, airports and the air traffic control system.” In particular, passengers are encouraged to keep in mind the following: It is strongly recommended that all passengers review the website of the airline on which they are flying for respective policies, amenities, customer-service plans and flight-operation alert notifications. Passengers should contact their airline or booking source and confirm that their full name, date of birth, gender and Redress number (if applicable) are included as part of their reservation as required by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Secure Flight program. Download the MyTSA mobile application for airport status and screening-checkpoint wait times, information on the 3-1-1 Rule for liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on bags, as well as the handling of food/gifts. Pack any gifts unwrapped, as they may need to be inspected by security. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is also providing additional Helpful Hints for Holiday Travelers online. A4A members are working closely with the government and airport partners to prepare for any potential weather disruptions. A4A is expecting the FAA, once again, to open up Department of Defense (DoD) Special Activity Airspace (SAA) on an as-needed basis to help ease congestion, especially as we face winter weather. This airspace is not regularly available to commercial flights. DoD also made SAA available over the Thanksgiving holiday. ABOUT A4A Annually, 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. ### ¹Dec. 15, 2011-Jan. 4, 2012 PubZone2	A4A is a leading source for key aviation information.