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

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:

“I ride on airlines every week, my family rides on the airlines with great frequency, it's the safest mode of transportation out there. So when we look at it -- and the safety professionals, those of us that are involved in aviation safety, we're looking at this data for trends all the time, and the trends have gotten better.”

John Cox, Retired U.S. Airways Pilot and “Ask the Captain” columnist, USA Today

The Diane Rehm Show

08/07/2012