A4A Forecasts Record Summer International Air Travel

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 Record Summer International Air Travel
	PubZone1 Industry Reports First-Quarter Loss WASHINGTON, May 9, 2012 – Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade association for the leading U.S. airlines, today said passengers can expect full flights this summer thanks in part to a record number of people traveling internationally and an improving economy. The good news for travelers is that airfares have not kept pace with the inflation rate, keeping air travel a relative bargain. “Customers are benefiting from record airline operational performance and greater access to the global economy while fares continue to trail the price of other services,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. “The fact that travelers will take to the air this summer both domestically and in record numbers beyond our borders underscores the value airlines are delivering to customers.” In its annual summer forecast, A4A today predicted that from June through August, U.S. airlines will carry an average of 2.24 million travelers globally every day. Total passenger volumes remain 5 percent below the summer 2007 all-time high of 217.6 million. A4A also expects a record number of people to travel internationally. Of the 206.2 million total passengers expected to travel on U.S. airlines this summer, 26.8 million will be traveling on international flights. This estimate surpasses last summer’s record of 26.3 million passengers flown on international flights. Domestically, 179.4 million passengers are expected to fly this summer, comparable to summer 2011. The good news for travelers is that airfares have not kept pace with the inflation rate, which rose 31 percent since 2000. Over the same period, average domestic airfares, per the Department of Transportation, rose just 9 percent, or 15 percent including optional ancillary services – less than half the rate of U.S. inflation. Adjusted for inflation, average domestic airfares actually fell 16 percent over the period or 12 percent including ancillary services. Rising Fuel, Labor and Nonoperating Costs Exacerbate First-Quarter Industry Loss As noted in carrier first-quarter reports, airlines continue to be challenged with increased operating costs, notably higher energy expenses. For the first quarter, fuel expenditures for 10 reporting U.S. passenger airlines rose 19.1 percent from the same period in 2011. Thus far this year, the price of jet fuel is 7 percent higher than in the same period of 2011, when full-year jet-fuel prices reached an all-time high. A4A today reported that the industry posted a first-quarter net loss of $1.73 billion (-5.2 percent net margin), which includes the results of 10 U.S. passenger airlines and represents a 74 percent deterioration from the net loss of $1 billion (-3.2 percent net margin) that these same carriers reported in the first quarter of 2011. “Building from a solid operational foundation, the airline industry continues to make customer-service improvements and increase efficiency. With fuel at record-high levels, the financial loss suffered in the first quarter would have been substantially deeper if not for the significant proactive steps that the airlines have taken,” said A4A Vice President and Chief Economist John Heimlich. Operating revenue for these 10 airlines grew 8.2 percent but operating and nonoperating expenses increased 10.3 percent. Fuel costs jumped 19.1 percent compared with the first quarter of 2011. Fuel remained the industry’s largest cost at one-third of operating expenses, up from 30 percent in 2011. Travel Tips A4A encourages passengers to consult its resource page for recommended travel tips. In particular, travelers are advised to keep in mind the following: Review the website of the airline on which you are flying for respective policies, amenities, customer-service plans and flight-operation alert notifications. Before departing to the airport, be sure to check the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airport delay map. Remember that TSA requires that air travelers follow its 3-1-1 Rule for liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on bags when passing through security checkpoints. ABOUT A4A Annually, commercial aviation helps drive more than $1 trillion in U.S. economic activity and nearly 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. ### PubZone2	A4A is a leading source for key aviation information.