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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

  • 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 13%

  • 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 - Engineering & Maintenance

Safety & Operations section: man refueling a plane

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>> 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 Data Recorders
All large commercial airliners are equipped with two types of devices to record information for the purpose of investigating accidents and incidents.
 
Portable Electronic Devices on Aircraft
A review of the growth of laptops, cell phones, and other electronic devices, and policies on their use onboard airplanes. 
 
Questions and Answers on Contract Maintenance
Answers to commonly asked questions about contract maintenance. 
 
EMMC Objectives
EMMC Charter, Mission, and Vision. 
 
EMMC Organizational Chart
Schematic of the EMMC organization. 
 
EMMC Groups, Task Forces, and Networks
A listing of industry groups that serve as standing bodies or communication networks. 
 
Airworthiness Committee
This committee is chartered under the EMMC to provide technical assistance, advice, and coordination among A4A member airlines.

A4A Promotes Paul McGraw to Vice President, Operations and Safety and Laura McKee to Vice President, Airline Services (5/8/2013)
A4A announced two promotions in the Safety, Security and Operations Division, naming Paul McGraw as Vice President, Operations and Safety and Laura McKee as Vice President, Airline Services.
Airlines for America Honors US Airways’ Jon Oberdick and FAA’s Ali Bahrami with the Nuts and Bolts Award for Exceptional Service in Airline Engineering or Maintenance (4/17/2013)
A4A awarded Nuts and Bolts Award to FAA's Ali Bahrami and US Airways' Jon Oberdick, recognizing exceptional service and contributions in the engineering or maintenance fields of commercial aviation
Annual A4A NDT Forum (2/12/2013)
56th Annual A4A NDT Forum
A4A Commends Senate Confirmation of Michael P. Huerta as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (1/1/2013)
A4A applauded the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Michael P. Huerta as Federal Aviation Administration Administrator.
A4A Honors Dr. Alfred Broz and Siemens Power Generation at the NDT Forum (10/4/2012)
A4A honored Dr. Alfred Broz and co-presented a team led by Siemens Power Generation with the “Better Way Award” at the recent A4A NDT Forum.
Aviation Associations Commend EPA Recognition of Industry Voluntary Pollution-Reduction Program (4/30/2012)
A4A, ACI-NA, AAAE and RAA today commended the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for finalizing new aircraft deicing regulations that recognize and build on the industry’s strong safety and environmental record while recognizing its unique operations.
A4A Calls for Disciplined, Data-Driven Approach to Safety (4/25/2012)
A4A today urged the government to take a disciplined approach to future safety regulatory changes and build on the industry’s solid foundation of increased accessibility to available operational data in order to further our extraordinary safety record.
A4A Testimony by Tom Hendricks, SVP for Safety, Security and Operations Before U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Aviation (4/25/2012)
A4A discussed the importance of data-driven analysis programs conducted by airline employees, airports, and the FAA to ensuring the highest levels of aviation safety, as well as the industry’s progress in implementing recent FAA safety initiatives.
A4A Writes the FAA to Discuss the Fuel Tank Flammability Reduction Means (FRM) Rule. (4/13/2012)
A4A has notified FAA of a significant delay in the availability of service instructions that operators need to start retrofitting fuel tank inerting kits, and has asked FAA to extend the regulatory deadlines for retrofitting kits.
A4A Committed to Safety Partnership with FAA (4/3/2012)
A4A today reaffirmed its commitment to robust data-driven safety initiatives along with the deployment of infrastructure enhancements to ensure that commercial aviation remains the world’s safest form of transportation.
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Safety is the number one priority for our airlines.

What the Experts Say:
“By switching to GPS-based systems, airlines can get more planes in the air; these planes can fly, safely, in closer proximity to each other; and the airlines can run more routes, getting more people to more places more quickly.”
Hilary Kramer, equity analyst and investment manager, Wall Street

​Forbes

05/22/2012
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