A4A, ALPA Urge Congress to Focus Customs and Immigration Resources on U.S. Gateways

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, ALPA Urge Congress to Focus Customs and Immigration Resources on U.S. Gateways
	PubZone1 WASHINGTON, July 16, 2012 – Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, and the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) today called on Congress to focus its limited Customs and Border Protection (CBP) resources on better serving U.S. gateway airports rather than creating a new pay-to-play scheme that diverts funds overseas and puts U.S. jobs at risk. In a joint letter to the Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee, A4A and ALPA objected to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending proposal, which would allow foreign governments to pay for preclearance facilities at international airports, regardless if they are served by U.S. airlines and without consideration to where the greatest need for CBP staffing exists. “If Customs and Border Patrol reallocates its already scarce resources to overseas facilities bankrolled by foreign governments, the United States, our airlines and our customers would be disadvantaged in this classic ‘pay-to-play’ scenario,” said Nicholas E. Calio, A4A President and CEO. “This kind of policy choice clearly undermines the ability of U.S. carriers to compete in the global marketplace and puts American jobs at risk.” “The safety and security of our passengers and crew is our top priority and we believe having private or third parties fund a government function may have significant unintended consequences for national security as well as the competitiveness of the U.S. airline industry,” said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president. In their letter, A4A and ALPA note that nothing in the proposed DHS spending plan stipulates that these agreements be vetted for national-security risks. A4A and ALPA also are calling on DHS to maximize the deployment of CBP resources at U.S. airports. CBP’s airport inspection operations are increasingly understaffed, forcing customers to wait longer to be cleared into the United States, which dissuades foreign travelers from visiting the U.S. and suppresses demand for international air travel on U.S. airlines. Other groups signing the letter include Airports Council International-North America, Allied Pilots Association, American Association of Exporters and Importers, Association of Flight Attendants, International Association of Machinists, Transportation Trades Department (AFL-CIO), Transport Workers Union, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 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. ABOUT ALPA Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 53,000 pilots at 37 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org. ### PubZone2	A4A is a leading source for key aviation information.