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

Safety & Operations - Safety

>> 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.

Safety Policy Paper
Safety is the number-one priority of America’s airlines, and air travel continues to be the world’s safest mode of transportation.

The Work of the Safety Council

The Airlines For America (A4A) Safety Council comprises senior safety leaders from 15 of the nation’s largest airlines.

Runway Safety
The aviation community for years has been working hard to continuously improve runway safety. A4A represents its member airlines at the Runway Safety Council, a joint effort between the FAA and the aviation industry.

Line Operations Safety Assessments (LOSA)
LOSA has been developed through the collaborative efforts of academia, the aviation industry and government.

Safety and Bird Strike Information
Bird strike task force/safety related information.

Facts About Cabin Air

The air onboard a commercial aircraft is cleaner than that in most public buildings. See more facts about cabin air.

Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS)
The Aviation Safety Information Sharing (ASIAS) System enables sharing, integration, analysis and utilization of safety critical information for the prevention of high risk incidents and accidents.

OSHA Airline Ground Safety Alliance

A4A, through an alliance with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), works to enhance ramp vehicular safety by developing prevention strategies to protect employees operating aviation ground-support equipment such as tugs and belt loaders used to service aircraft at the gate.

A4A Forecasts Record Summer International Air Travel (5/9/2012)
A4A today said passengers can expect full flights this summer in part to a record number of people traveling internationally and an improving economy.

A4A Calls on FAA to Improve Pilot-Qualification Proposed Rule (5/1/2012)
A4A urged the FAA to significantly revise its proposed requirements for pilot certification and provide a system that builds on the industry’s strong safety record, is recommended by safety experts and that recognizes the quality of a pilot’s training.

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.

2012 Annual A4A NDT Forum (4/19/2012)
55th Annual A4A NDT Forum

A4A Rejects Proposal to Change FAA Rules (4/17/2012)
A4A today affirmed its support for the FAA decision to apply the recent final rule on crew-member duty limits and rest only to scheduled passenger airline operations, and voiced strong opposition to newly proposed legislation that would reverse that rule.

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 Urges Swift Favorable Action on the Nomination of Michael P. Huerta as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (3/28/2012)
A4A commended the Obama administration on the nomination of Michael P. Huerta as Federal Aviation Administration Administrator.

U.S. Airlines Post Lower Earnings in 2011 Due to Rising Costs (2/28/2012)
A4A today announced that the largest U.S. airlines earned a combined $390 million in 2011 or less than half a penny on every $1 of revenue generated for the year and that this underscores the need for a National Airline Policy.

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Safety is the number one priority for our airlines.

What the Experts Say:

“The [airline] industry has a great safety record, but we cannot rest on our laurels…We are moving from a system of accident investigation and forensic study, to a proactive analysis of data. We want to understand what might happen so that we can make changes to address safety risks. That’s a smarter way of doing business.”

Michael P. Huerta, acting administrator, FAA

Innovation and Collaboration in the Second Century of Flight-Aero Club

05/15/2012