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, March 22, 2012 – Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today called on Congress to consider further efficiency within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) – not further taxes on airline passengers as proposed in the fiscal year 2013 budget passed by the House Budget Committee. The budget would double the security tax from $2.50 to $5, which would cost airline passengers more than $700 million annually. Ironically, a budget proposal aimed at driving economic growth would in fact undermine it through this provision. A4A said programs that take a risk-based approach to security, including TSA Pre Check and Known Crewmember, which enable TSA to focus its resources on greater threats are a more appropriate way to improve efficiency within the TSA, which has seen its staff size increase by 400 percent in the last decade. “We cannot continue to put more taxes on airline passengers, who already pay more than $60 in taxes on a typical $300 round-trip ticket with this disappointing and short-sighted approach that ultimately will discourage business travel and tourism,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. “We support building on the good work of Administrator John Pistole to create more efficiencies at the TSA – not add more taxes to customers who are already overburdened.” Airlines and their customers today pay 17 different federal taxes totaling $18 billion annually, and air travel is taxed at a federal rate that is higher than alcohol and tobacco, products taxed to discourage their use. 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.
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