A proposed plan to raise airline fees for TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection has airlines bracing for an attack from an Administration it so far has strongly supported.
The relationship between the White House and U.S. airlines is quite a paradox.
It was only weeks ago that Detla CEO Ed Bastian praised the Administration for reaching a deal with Qatar Airways that would prohibit future Fifth Freedom flights and require greater financial transparency:
We are grateful to the Trump administration for working to restore a level playing field for the U.S. aviation industry.
And only last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation essentially told airlines to send them suggestions on what consumer protections they wanted rolled back. Airlines rejoiced.
> Read More: Six Consumer Protections Airlines Hope to Eliminate
But massive tax cuts have to be paid for somehow and the latest Trump Budget proposal calls for raised airlines fees, including:
Passenger Security Fee
- Increases by $1 per one-way ticket in 2019
- Increases by $1.65 per-noway ticket in 2019
- meaning $8.25/each way just for “security” fees
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- $2 increase in fees in 2019
Suddenly, airlines are no longer cheering. In fact, the LA Times reports that airlines are now warning about job growth and reduced air service if these fee increases are approved.
Increasing taxes in any form will add to the cost of flying for millions of Americans, curtail job growth and limit the options small and medium communities currently enjoy.
That’s Nicholas Calio, president and chief executive of Airlines for America. He’s the mouthpiece of U.S. airlines when it comes to regulatory policy.
CONCLUSION
We’ll see if this budgetary proposal sticks or Airlines for America is successful in making it go away.
image: TSA.gov
The sky is falling, the sky is falling! Don’t believe any rhetoric being spewed by the airlines…profits are sky high, and this is likely posturing ahead of the next round of union negotiations. Much easier to say, “it’s not us.”
By that logic since the economy is booming you’d have no problem if your state/municipality just raises your property taxes then to make up for their own beurocratic inefficiencies. If the government wants to charge a security fee they should collect it themselves. Set up a booth right before TSA and collect it directly, why force the airlines to raise their prices to account for it. I’m glad the airlines are fighting this tax increase, sire they’re finally making money but look at their margins, still single digits in many cases. It would be great if the TSA could try ever so slightly to beomce ,ore effecient but now they have no reason to if they know they can just continue to force us to pay more.
Bob, the government in virtually every developed country on earth collect fees via the airlines – are you seriously proposing adding another delay to our already appalling airports in the form of a tax booth?
The government should impose more passenger taxes on travellers and use the proceeds to fund airport development. This is done in other countries to a much higher level in almost every other country except the US, which is why even developing countries like Thailand have much better airports than the United States.
Republicans and tax increase = white hypocrisy on an infinite proportion.
Scumbags all of them. Unfortunately democrats lack spine to be attack dogs.
@credit- Are you serious? White hypocrisy?
The only thing worst than a racist is one that refuses to look in the mirror. Since you seem dense….that means you…
The modus operandi is to deny and deny while openly doing out. Picking a play from your playbook republicans. Like I said democrats can easily roil up non whites given the history of this country but they don’t do it like republicans demonize browns and Muslims and Mexicans.
High road is not winning you many admirers democrats.
@Paul,
Don’t feed the trolls. When I googled “Is Credit a racist?” this was the first result;
http://cheezburger.com/6225481472/arguing-with-retards
And yet you elected the traitor in white house.
Like I said hypocrisy on infinite proportion. Unfortunately for you, the nice cushy lies you kept getting away with for more than 60 years after ww2 no longer work. And the blowback is you have a hard time convincing people what in normal times should be easy.
Lost credibility and all that.
So a beer on a airline at $9 is ok. Rising airline fees and ticket prices are ok. Acknowledging inflation is real is ok. The government raises fees and its a blog post? Pathetic…..
Last I checked, inflation isn’t at 20%…
If a $4.65 increase in fees is going to keep you from being able to afford to fly, you have no business flying. Or ever leaving your home, for that matter.