One perplexing note from the FAA reauthorization House Subcommittee on Aviation hearings last week was the airlines’ response to and deep concern about possible increases in the FAA passenger facilities charge (PFC) proposed from $4.50 to $7 per segment in the new legislation. The airlines argued that adding $2.50 to the PFC may hurt the air transport economy.
I was astonished. Perhaps Southwest Airlines can make that kind of comment, but for the Air Transport Association (ATA) representing the major airlines in the U.S. to come out with that kind of statement is laughable. They are concerned that with the addition of the PFC the new tax will “ultimately reduce the underlying product of service — in this case air transportation.”
Give me a break! What about the affects of fees for baggage, pillows, blankets, drinks, reservations, check-in, ticket changes and so on? To hear the airlines complain about an increase of $2.50 in a tax while slapping us with $15 first-checked-bag fees is a bit incredulous.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
