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, November 13, 2012 - Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today commended the House of Representatives for approving the Senate-passed bill, S. 1956, a measure that allows the Transportation Secretary to direct U.S. airlines not to participate in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). S. 1956 was approved by unanimous consent in the Senate and by voice vote in the House, underscoring that Congress recognizes that the EU ETS violates international law and U.S. sovereignty and is counterproductive to U.S. airlines’ ongoing efforts to invest in the technology, operations and infrastructure measures that enhance fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.
On Monday, the EU announced it would suspend enforcement of the ETS while efforts to reach an internationally agreed approach to reduce emissions continue through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). While A4A is cautiously optimistic about that action, it does not remove the threat of the EU ETS being implemented at a later date.
“The message could not be any clearer -- overwhelming bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate have spoken: EU ETS violates U.S. sovereignty and will not do what it purports to as the funds do not have to be used for environmental protection,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. “There is a better way to improve the environmental efficiency of the airline industry, and U.S.-based carriers are already leading those efforts.”
Calio said A4A strongly supports efforts to gain full agreement on the global framework provisionally adopted by ICAO in 2010. U.S. airlines were among the global aviation leaders in developing this framework, which includes an industry commitment to a 1.5 percent annual average fuel-efficiency improvement through 2020 and carbon neutral growth from 2020 onward, subject to critical investments by industry and governments.
Further, U.S. carriers have made significant investments in alternative fuel research and in fuel-efficient aircraft and operations U.S. airlines improved their fuel efficiency by 120 percent over the past three decades, resulting in emissions savings equivalent to taking more 22 million cars off the road in each of those years. U.S. airlines have also increased traffic while using less fuel.
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Annually, commercial aviation helps drive more than $1 trillion in U.S. economic activity and more than 10 million U.S. jobs.
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