A4A Spokesperson: “Safety is and will always be our top priority”

USTN sat down with Airlines for America (A4A) to get an industry-wide view on some of the most pressing economic issues facing the aviation industry. A4A is the trade association for the leading U.S. airlines, both passenger and cargo, with members including American Airlines, Delta, and United. 

This is the second iteration of USTN’s ‘Ask the Expert’ interview series, and we encourage our readers to submit any query they have regarding airline financials for our next resident expert. 

People are worried about flight safety due to the recent uptick in reporting on crashes. How has this affected airline profits?

A4A spokesperson: Safety is and always will be our top priority. A4A is a member of the Modern Skies Coalition, a group of more than 50 aviation organizations united in the goal to overhaul the U.S. air traffic control system. We are deeply appreciative of the Trump Administration’s $12.5 billion downpayment in upgrading the NAS and urge lawmakers to pass legislation that would fully fund the project and ensure the United States remains the gold standard of aviation safety and that flying remains the safest way to travel.

I’ve seen online that a large share of profits at airlines comes from their loyalty programmes. Is this true? And why are these programmes generating so much revenue?

A4A spokesperson: Survey after survey shows that consumers across the country love their airline credit cards and actively track the points they earn. Airline loyalty programs are widely popular, voluntary programs that consumers value because they accumulate rewards toward travel when they make everyday purchases. There is fierce competition within the industry for both customer and credit card loyalty, and consumers have the power of choice when picking a carrier for air travel or a credit card for spending, with a wide range of options, to pick what best fits their needs.

A4A analyzed a member survey and public data to estimate the prevalence of airline co-branded credit cards and their economic impact on tourism in the United States. Key findings include:

Airline credit cards are extremely popular: A4A estimates that there are nearly 31 million U.S. airline industry credit card holders based on our survey sample. On average, nearly one out of every four U.S. households have an airline credit card. 

Airline credit cards are a powerful tool for consumers to earn points for future travel: A4A estimates that 57 percent of total frequent flyer miles/points earned in 2023 by consumers were generated by their use of an airline credit card.

Airline credit card rewards generate a tremendous amount of economic activity and jobs: A4A estimates rewards earned from airline credit cards paid for more than 15 million domestic visitor trips that supported $24 billion in economic activity in 2024.

More information can be found here: https://www.airlines.org/protect-our-points/