THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY TODAY
HELPS DRIVE
$1.7 trillion
in U.S. economic activity and more than 10 million U.S. jobs.
HELPS DRIVE
Operates the Safest mode of transportation
Commercial air travel is the safest form of intercity transportation in the United States. Every day U.S. airlines transport more than 2.4 million passengers and more than 58,000 tons of cargo. Safety is our number one priority. A4A and our member airlines work together with the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, aircraft manufacturers, labor and others to provide a safe and efficient travel experience. As a result, the U.S. airline industry is experiencing the safest period in aviation history.
Our Commitment to Safety
Partnering in Safety & Security
Enhancing Passenger Experience
Streamlining Cargo Operations
The U.S. airline industry operates the safest form of intercity transportation, thanks to the ongoing and strong collaboration between the airlines, labor, manufacturers and government. Working together with government agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration, airlines are able to develop and implement tools and procedures to ensure we always maintain the highest level of safety for our customers, employees and aircraft.
Many programs are offered for both passengers and crewmembers that enhance security and expedite screening. The traveling public is eligible to register for TSA’s Pre-Check and Global Entry programs. Flight crews of participating airlines are able to enroll in the Known Crewmember Program.
A4A maintains close contact with FAA leadership to serve as the premier source of advice, coordination and consensus-based leadership for public policies pertaining to airline engineering and maintenance, including safety, airworthiness, reliability and cost effectiveness aspects.
It’s a great time to fly. Airfares are affordable and actually fell 30 percent from 2000 to 2018, when adjusted for inflation. U.S. airlines continue to deliver strong on-time performance, helping you get to your destination safely and efficiently.
In addition to running an economic and efficient form of travel, carriers are working hard to improve your passenger experience. U.S. airlines invested more than $120 billion in 2010-2018 to enhance their product and service by purchasing new fuel-efficient aircraft, adding state-of the-art seats and interiors, developing modern airport terminals and customer lounges and expanding in-flight entertainment, mobile technology, Wi-Fi and gourmet meal offerings.
Each day, U.S. airlines move more than 58,000 tons of cargo, contributing to the global economy and making life easier by bringing everyday items directly to you, the consumer. Both passenger and cargo carriers provide a variety of reliable cargo services, delivering goods to their final destination more efficiently than any other means of transportation.
Cargo is a priority for our members, as airlines continue to be the preferred method to move valuable and highly perishable products across the country and around the world. Cargo carried by airlines represents more than one-third the value of all transported goods. Some of these include live animals, human organs for transplant, urgent air mail, industrial parts needed for repairs and perishables like fresh fish, fruits, vegetables, flowers and much more.
To ensure the safety of passengers and employees, airlines work with government agencies to implement a range of safety and security measures for air cargo and its supply chain – from manufacturers and shippers to forwarders and carriers. Around the world, governments are working together to enhance and further expedite the shipping experience and develop risk-based security programs that would set cargo standards across countries and regions.
Is a Critical Economic Engine
Commercial aviation helps drive more than 10 million American jobs. Our member airlines contribute at the local, state, national and global levels, transporting people and goods around the world safely, efficiently and economically. The industry supports and creates new markets at home and abroad, as communities across the world rely on access to air transportation for economic growth and stability.
Our Economic Impact
Creating Jobs
Contributing to Local Economies
Connecting Economies Across the Globe
U.S. airline employees in the air and on the ground enable approximately 28,000 daily flights. U.S. passenger and cargo carriers employ 750,000 people worldwide and help drive more than 10 million American jobs.
A stable, healthy aviation industry enhances job security, pay and benefits for airline employees. U.S. passenger airline employees earn 45 percent higher wages than the average private sector employee.
Our member carriers provide wide-ranging job opportunities from engineering to customer services, ground and maintenance instructors to flight crews and management personnel. For every 100 airline jobs, approximately 300 are supported outside of the airline industry both directly and indirectly, including aviation-related government agency positions, such as air traffic controllers employed by the FAA, and research and development positions that enable advancements in all facets of airline operations.
Airlines stimulate business through direct and indirect commerce, support economies through taxes and infrastructure investments and provide job opportunities in aviation and other industries. Additionally, airlines work with local charities and volunteer groups to give back to the communities in which they work and live.
The health of the industry is inextricably linked with that of the economy – as airlines do well, they also invest in their product and infrastructure, including new planes, customer amenities and airport expansion or renovation.
As carriers increasingly foster safe, efficient and affordable connectivity, cities and states are enhancing the appeal of their regions for travelers and shippers. Flight schools across the country work with airlines to teach, train and employ the next generation of pilots. Aircraft part manufacturing facilities provide opportunities in highly skilled positions. Investors elect to augment tourist attractions and build business conference centers in cities with greater access to air travel and time-sensitive movement of high-value merchandise.
Commercial aviation has a direct impact on our nation’s economy, creating more than 10 million well-paying American jobs and driving 5 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product and nearly $1.7 trillion in annual economic activity. Healthy U.S. airlines stimulate the commercial aviation industry, as well as the broader economy through increased connectivity, trade and enhanced mobility of people, cultures, goods and ideas.
Airlines significantly improve opportunities for trade and increase productivity for other industries. Many businesses rely on airlines to quickly deliver high-value items, urgent documents, industrial parts needed for repairs and perishables like fresh fish, fruits, vegetables and flowers. Flying reduces time spent traveling, offering greater efficiency for business customers and more leisure time for vacationing families.
As the industry serves more international destinations, customers visiting the United States are spending three times as much on other travel and tourism goods and services as they do on airfare, benefiting the nation’s economy.
Runs a Green Operation
Between 1978 and 2018, U.S. airlines improved fuel efficiency by over 130%, which has resulted in nearly 5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide savings. Our member airlines have a strong record of environmental responsibility. Today, our airplanes are quieter, cleaner and use less fuel than ever, and we fly them smarter. Carriers continue to invest in new aircraft and engines, winglets, alternative fuels and operational procedures – both in-flight and on the ground – among many other initiatives to create cleaner, greener skies for us all.
Our Environmental Focus
Reducing Our Environmental Footprint
Supporting Alternative Fuels
Flying More Quietly
Protecting Water Quality
Our member carriers are committed to maintaining a green operation. U.S. airlines are spending tens of billions of dollars to upgrade fleets, implement cutting-edge technologies, introduce new flight procedures and fly more direct routes.
U.S. airlines contribute just 2 percent of domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – much less than the 27 percent produced by the balance of the transportation industry. Carriers have implemented procedures to reduce fuel usage, such as single-engine taxi and selectively shutting down engines during ground delays. They also have replaced onboard equipment with lighter materials. Aircraft paint schemes have even been adapted to minimize heat absorption, thereby requiring less energy for cooling.
As a result of our efforts, between 1978 and 2018, the U.S. airline industry improved its fuel efficiency by over 130 percent, resulting in nearly 5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) savings – the equivalent of taking over 26 million cars off the road in each of those years. Further, data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics confirms that U.S. airlines carried 42 percent more passengers and cargo on a revenue-ton-mile basis in 2018 than they did in 2000, while emitting just 3 percent more total CO2.
We are not stopping there. The initiatives that our airlines are undertaking to further address emissions are designed to responsibly and effectively limit our fuel consumption, GHG emissions contribution and potential climate change impacts, while allowing commercial aviation to continue to serve as a key contributor to the U.S. economy. For example, A4A and its airlines are dedicated to developing commercially viable, environmentally friendly alternative jet fuel, which could be a game-changer in terms of aviation’s output of emissions while enhancing U.S. energy independence and security. We are central stakeholders in partnering efforts to modernize the outdated air traffic control system on a business-case basis and to reinvigorate research and development in aviation environmental technology, both of which can bring additional and extensive emissions reductions. We also support a global sectoral approach to aviation climate change policy under the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations body that sets standards and recommended practices for international aviation. A4A and our members support agreements reached by ICAO in 2016 for a CO2 certification standard for future aircraft and the development of an international carbon offsetting system to help achieve carbon neutral growth from 2020 and implementation of these agreements by the United States.
U.S. airlines have an exceptional environmental record, which continues to grow stronger as we further reduce fuel consumption and related emissions. A4A and our member carriers are working to develop environmentally friendly fuels that could enhance energy supply and reduce emissions typically associated with fossil fuels, including greenhouse gas emissions.
Improving fuel efficiency is the right thing to do for our environment. It also makes good business sense. Today, U.S. airlines carry more traffic per gallon of jet fuel than ever before, but every $1 increase in a barrel of crude oil per year costs the industry $450 million. Alternative fuels could introduce a competitor to petroleum-based fuels that would reduce price volatility for airlines and their customers while bringing environmental benefit.
A4A is a founding and principal member of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative®, which brings together airlines, government, manufacturers, fuel suppliers, universities, airports and other stakeholders to encourage the research, production and use of sustainable alternative aviation fuels. It supports the development of alternative aviation fuels that meet current safety standards and provide a cost-competitive, environmentally friendly substitute for jet fuel and security of energy supply for the industry.
Today, commercial aircraft are more than six times quieter than they were 40 years ago. Since 1975, we have reduced the number of people exposed to significant aircraft noise in the United States by 94 percent, while the number of U.S. airline passengers has more than quadrupled.
Aircraft noise includes engine noise and aerodynamic noise. An engine creates noise as air enters the turbine and is discharged in the form of high velocity exhaust. The movement of the airframe through the air, including airflow on high-lift devices (e.g., flaps and slats) and landing gear, causes aerodynamic noise. The amount of noise from an aircraft changes over space and time depending on thrust settings, rate of climb or descent and speed. We are working to continue to reduce sound propagation through operational and technology advances.
Our member airlines employ operations and procedures that minimize and mitigate aircraft noise, including optimized profile descent (OPD), which limits noise and emissions. OPD reduces peak noise levels up to five or six decibels along the flight path. Researchers are also exploring Quiet Climb, a thrust management option used to automate low-noise departure procedures.
Airlines and airframe manufacturers are committed to making technological advancements that will reduce both noise and emissions, including use of noise absorbing materials in engines, advanced nacelle design, mechanical engine refinements and airframe adjustments.
A4A airlines are committed to protecting the environment in every aspect of their operations, including water quality. That includes working with airports staff, who also have a responsibility for clearing and deicing runway/taxiway surfaces and addressing associated environmental concerns, to ensure that stormwater does not adversely impact nearby rivers, streams and lakes.
A4A, together with its Program Partners, has created the Voluntary Pollution Reduction Program, to promote pollution reduction from aviation-related deicing activities by advocating and tracking the adoption of commercially-appropriate pollution-reduction technologies.
A4A’s Program Partners are the Regional Airline Association (RAA), Airports Council International (ACI-NA), American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE).
Connects Communities
Airlines are the physical internet, transporting 2.4 million passengers and more than 58,000 tons of cargo daily. Our members are committed to a safe, efficient and affordable operation that serves customers and supports the communities in which we work and live.
Support for our communities
Bringing People Together
Furthering Global Good
Transporting High-Value Items
Airlines provide the safest and most efficient form of inter-city travel. Air travel connects communities and brings people together, making it possible to visit loved ones and attend business meetings and special events like birthdays, weddings and holidays.
U.S. carriers have developed a global network that allows for the transfer of people, goods and ideas, linking cultures and traditions across the world.
Our members understand the importance of teamwork both in the air and on the ground. They are proud to invest in the communities where they live and work. As an industry, U.S. airlines are committed to sustainability of our planet and cultures.
Airlines support the communities they serve through relief efforts, donating miles, fantasy flights and volunteer opportunities for employees and customers. We develop meaningful relationships with non-profit and cause-related organizations to support initiatives such as protecting the environment, encouraging medical advancements, enhancing education and promoting the arts.
Each day, U.S. airlines move more than 58,000 tons of cargo, making life easier by bringing everyday items directly to consumer. Both passenger and cargo carriers provide a variety of reliable cargo services, meeting your shipping needs and expediting delivery of goods to their final destination more safely and efficiently than any other means of transportation.
The total value of merchandise exported from or imported to the U.S. by air in 2018 was $1 trillion. Items transported by airlines include live animals, human organs for transplant, urgent air mail and perishables like fresh fish, fruits, vegetables, flowers and much more.
Airlines make it possible for a person in California to enjoy fresh lobster from Maine. Artwork and historic artifacts transfer temporarily from one museum to another for special exhibits. Large industrial parts needed for repairs move with ease from one place to another.