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  • 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

  • U.S. airlines move 50,000 tons of cargo per day

  • In 2011, the average value of a kilogram of U.S. merchandise exported by air was 117 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

  • From 2000-2010, U.S. airlines carried 15% more traffic while using 2.1 billion fewer gallons of fuel

  • Domestically, airlines drive 5% of economic activity but account for 2% of man-made GHG emissions

  • From 2000-2010, airlines reduced GHG emissions by 10% while transporting 15% more passengers and cargo

  • From 1975-2010, the number of U.S. residents exposed to significant noise levels fell 95%

  • 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 2000-2010, U.S. airlines improved the on-time arrival rate from 72.6% to 79.8%

  • From 2000-2010, U.S. airlines halved the flight cancellation rate from 3.30% to 1.76%

  • Airfares are a bargain: From 2000-2010, U.S. CPI rose 27% while average domestic fare (excl. taxes) rose just 1%

  • Adjusted for inflation, the average round-trip domestic fare in 2010 fell 21% (from $398 to $316) compared to 2000

  • 2007 domestic flight delays cost the United States approximately $31 billion

  • In 2011, the value of U.S. merchandise exported by air reached an all-time high of $424B

  • In 2011, U.S. exports of air-travel services reached an all-time high of $36.7B, driving the largest trade surplus in this category since 1992

  • In 2011, U.S. passenger and cargo airlines spent $50.5B on fuel, up $11.7B ($32M/day) from 2010

  • In 2011, U.S. airlines posted the lowest annual rate of mishandled baggage ever recorded

  • In 2011, U.S. airlines posted the lowest annual rate of involuntary denied boardings ever recorded

  • In 4Q 2011, U.S. airlines posted the second-lowest quarterly on-time arrival rate ever recorded

  • FAA projects U.S. air travel demand to top 1 billion passengers in 2024

  • In 2011, US airlines flew 80 million passengers in scheduled international service- a record high

  • In 2011, US airlines flew at 241.2 billion revenue passenger miles in scheduled international service- a record high

  • In 2011, US airlines operated 299.9 billion available seat miles in scheduled international service- a record high

Public Policy Letters OpEd

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PubZone1
A4A may submit articles, have opinion pieces (Op-Eds) and/or letters to the editor for publishing in various news outlets. This section includes links to those publicly available opinion pieces.


Opposing view: Let airlines set baggage policies (11/22/2011)
Airlines have found that a fee is not the sole driver in a customer's decision to check a bag, and today fewer than one in four customers pay a fee.
Editorial Aviation Taxes Just Won't Fly (11/3/2011)
Most of the nation's major airlines have been fading heat for tacking on fees for everything from checked baggage to inflight meals. It's a marketplace up there in the friendly skies, and that kind of criticism comes with the territory.
The Air Travel 'Sin' Tax, by ATA President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio (5/25/2011)
ATA President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio writes an Opinion in the Wall Street Journal, explaining how the air travel tax bite puts aviation in the "sin tax" bracket, which is absurd given the airlines' beneficial and essential role in the global economy.
Aviation Infrastructure Is Vital to Winning the Future (2/9/2011)
In a guest opinion article, ATA President and CEO Nick Calio writes how a NextGen air traffic management system will unleash the true economic power of commercial aviation and benefit every industry in this country.
Viewpoint: ATA's Calio Calls for Investment (2/9/2011)
ATA President and CEO Nick Calio writes in the Aviation Daily Departures column that it is aviation infrastructure that will advance our nation’s stated ambition of doubling our exports in the next five years.
Industry Recommendations Should Be Blueprint for Needed Policies in FAA Reauthorization Bill (12/20/2010)
ATA President and CEO James C. May responds to the National Journal Transportation Blog on the topic, "FAA: Could it Finally Happen?"
Governments, Step Away from the Piñata! (12/8/2010)
ATA's third blog post to the National Journal Cancun Insider on status of the climate change talks.
Dollar Signs of Our Times (12/4/2010)
ATA Vice President, Environmental Affairs Nancy Young's second blog post to the National Journal Cancun Insider.
Aviation’s Lesson for Cancun: The Real Thing? (12/1/2010)
ATA Vice President, Environmental Affairs Nancy Young's first in a series of blog posts to the National Journal Cancun Insider regarding the climate change summit.
National Journal Blog Post on President Obama's Infrastructure Investment Proposal (9/13/2010)
ATA President and CEO James C. May posts a response to the National Journal Transportation blog regarding President Obama's wide-ranging transportation and infrastructure plan.
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PubZone2
A4A advocates measures to support aviation safety, security and well-being.

What the Experts Say:
“The aviation industry and its many governmental allies strongly believe that ICAO is the proper government body to establish any aviation emissions program — not the EU. ICAO approved the outline of the airlines' emissions-reduction proposal back in 2010…Only a truly international approach will attain the universal goal of lowering greenhouse gas emissions and combating global warming.”
Nicholas E. Calio, president and CEO & Capt. Lee Moak, president, A4A & ALPA

​USA Today

03/27/2012
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