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
U.S. exports by air are 130 times the value of exports transported 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
As of early 2011, FAA projecting 1 billion passengers to be enplaned in FY 2021
From 2000-2010, U.S. airlines carried 15% more traffic while using 2.1 billion fewer gallons of fuel
NextGen could reduce annual fuel consumption by 1.6 billion gallons
Domestically, airlines drive 5% of economic activity but account for 2% of man-made GHG emissions
From 2000-2010, reduced greenhouse gas 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 7 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 roundtrip domestic fare in 2010 fell 21% (from $398 to $316) compared to 2000
2007 domestic flight delays cost the United States approximately $31 billion

Safety & Operations

Safety
Safety is the foundation on which our industry was built and remains our number one priority. Airlines work collaboratively with the FAA, the NTSB, our employees and labor groups and others to ensure the safety of passengers and crew members. Today the U.S. airline industry is the largest and safest in the world, the result of rigorous data-driven collaboration and the gold standard against which other nations are measured. In this section, you will find information regarding important airline safety initiatives.

Engineering and Maintenance
Airline engineering, maintenance and materiel (EM&M) programs keep aircraft in working order and preserve the airlines' valuable physical assets by keeping aircraft in safe, reliable, and customer-worthy condition, enabling safe passenger and cargo transportation services. A4A maintains close liaison 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.

Flight Operations & Air Traffic Management
The safe and efficient operation of our members’ fleet of more than 7,000 aircraft is accomplished through navigational technology and procedures, flight training and regulations of flight operations. A4A collaborates with regulators in the United States and abroad to ensure the safety and efficiency of U.S. aircraft.

The air traffic management system provides safe navigation for U.S. aircraft. The basic design elements of the system have not changed significantly since its inception in the 1950s. To meet future demand, maintain safety and avert gridlock, the nation must deploy new technology, modernize procedures, add capacity and increase productivity. A4A is committed to a safe and efficient transition to a next-generation air traffic management system (NextGen). This section includes ATC-related information of interest to the airline industry.

Safety is the number one priority for our airlines.

What the Experts Say:

“This new system [Known Crewmember] is a key component as we continue to explore more risk-based, intelligence-driven security solutions."
Greg Soule, spokesperson, TSA

Bloomberg

02/16/2012