• About A4A
    • About A4A
    • Contact A4A
    • Membership
    • A4A Jobs
    • Airline Industry Jobs
  • A4A Initiatives
    • Safety & Operations
    • Energy & Environment
    • Customers
    • Security
  • Economics & Analysis
    • Aviation & the Economy
    • Traffic & Financial Results
    • Taxes & Fees
    • Special Topics
  • News
    • Releases & Statements
    • Speeches & Testimony
    • Letters
    • Filings
    • Media Relations Contacts
  • Public Policy
    • Position Papers
    • Testimony
    • Filings
    • Letters
  • Products & Events
    • Product Showcase
    • Publications
    • e-Business
    • Resources
    • Events
  • Connect
Search
A4A Home
  • 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 Monthly Passenger and Cargo Yield (Fares per Mile)

PubZone1
Passenger “yield” is a commonly used metric representing the average fare paid by customers to fly one mile (revenue passenger mile or RPM). It is a key indicator of the price of air travel and is a weighted average expressed in cents. Likewise, cargo "yield" represents the average price paid by customers to transport one ton (2,000 pounds) of freight and mail one mile (cargo revenue ton mile or cargo RTM).

The following tables are the most current and real-time source of actual prices paid by customers. The results are expressed in nominal terms, are net of taxes and fees (which can be a substantial portion of an airline ticket) and remain unadjusted for trip length.
 

A4A Monthly Passenger Yield*

Domestic

 

International

 

System

 

 

(¢/RPM)

YOY

(¢/RPM)

YOY

(¢/RPM)

YOY

April 2013

16.70

-2.5%

14.35

0.2%

15.99

-1.8%

YTD April 2013

16.81

0.1%

14.78

0.8%

16.19

0.3%

 
* Passenger yield information reflects the latest results for the following A4A members: Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United, US Airways and their respective regional airline partners. To subscribe to the A4A Monthly Passenger Yield Report (Excel file delivered via e-mail), which includes monthly history beginning in January 2000 and offers greater detail by region (e.g., Domestic/Express, Atlantic, Latin, Pacific), please click A4A Publications. Results for a given month are typically available around the twenty-first day following the end of that month and are subject to restatement.

For annual passenger yield, fare and fee data for the complete industry, visit Annual Round-Trip Fares and Fees: Domestic or International as desired.


A4A Monthly Passenger Airline Cargo Yield**

Domestic

 

International

 

System

 

 

(¢/RTM)

YOY

(¢/RTM)

YOY

(¢/RTM)

YOY

April 2013

73.05

-1.8%

37.83

-0.2%

44.06

-0.8%

YTD April 2013

77.75

6.6%

36.55

-2.5%

43.85

0.0%


** Cargo yield information reflects the latest results for the following A4A members: Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest, United, US Airways. To subscribe to the A4A Monthly Cargo Yield Report (Excel file delivered via e-mail), which includes monthly history beginning in January 2009 and offers greater detail by region (e.g., Domestic, Atlantic, Latin, Pacific), please click A4A Publications.
​​​


PubZone2
© 1995-2013 Airlines for America (A4A). All rights reserved.
1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 1100 | Washington, DC 20004
T: 202.626.4000 | E: a4a@airlines.org

For more information about the National Airline Policy campaign visit:
www.nationalairlinepolicy.com
Twitter: @Natl_Air_Policy
Facebook: facebook.com/nationalairlinepolicy

Home | Contact Us | Privacy Statement | Site Map | Print Friendly