A4A Commends President Obama for Efforts to Improve U.S. Visa Application

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

	A4A Commends President Obama for Efforts to Improve U.S. Visa Application
	PubZone1 WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2012 – Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, issued a statement in support of President Obama’s efforts, announced today, to improve visa processing times for Brazil and China. “Streamlining and enhancing the visa application process for international visitors to the United States without compromising our national security, is of vital importance to the U.S. airlines in continuing their contribution to the U.S. global economy,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. “An improved visa process is a key component of a much-needed national airline policy, and we commend President Obama for his announced visa process improvements and expansion of the Global Entry program for expedited travel, which will help to expand U.S. access to rapidly growing global markets.” ABOUT A4A Annually, commercial aviation helps drive more than $1 trillion in U.S. economic activity and more than 10 million U.S. jobs. A4A airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For more information about the airline industry, visit www.airlines.org and follow us on Twitter @airlinesdotorg. ### PubZone2	A4A is a leading source for key aviation information.