US Congress Needs to Respect the Importance of Airports

As the fight over funding rages on in Washington, Congress is suggesting new ways to scoop up revenue that could have a negative impact on America’s airports. A Senate proposal to nearly double the passage facility charge, which is known as the airport tax, has executives of six airlines urging Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to reject the proposal and help them fight this latest attack on airports. In a letter to Chao, those major airline leaders pointed out that 17 existing federal fees on airports, totaling more than $24 billion, now account for nearly 21 percent of the cost of a round-trip ticket for citizen travelers.