WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade association for the leading U.S. airlines, today objected to a House plan that calls for diverting funds that airline passengers pay for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) fees to pay for the highway trust fund.
As part of the Offsets in the Highway and Transportation Funding Act, the House plan calls for using portions of revenue assumed to be collected from TSA fees in years 2024 and 2025 to offset government costs for a highway fix this year.
“It is disingenuous at best to take funds that airline passengers are paying, presumably for their safety and security, and use them to pay for highways,” said Nicholas E. Calio, A4A president and CEO. “This plan proposes to use tomorrow’s dollars to pay for today’s problem and do so on the backs of airline passengers who are being asked to fund everything from the national debt to the highways. This plan is a road to nowhere for passengers and eventually will lead to fee increases if the fees airlines and their customers already are paying today are diverted to other uses.”
Calio noted that airline customers are already paying more than their fair share in taxes, as a $300 domestic one-stop roundtrip ticket can include more than $61 in taxes.
ABOUT A4A
Annually, commercial aviation helps drive nearly $1.5 trillion in U.S. economic activity and more than 11 million U.S. jobs. Airlines for America (A4A) vigorously advocates on behalf of the American airline industry as a model of safety, customer service and environmental responsibility and as the indispensable network that drives our nation's economy and global competitiveness. Our member carriers and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic.
America needs a cohesive National Airline Policy that will support the integral role the nation's airlines play in connecting people and goods globally, spur the nation's economic growth and create more high-paying jobs. A4A works collaboratively with the airlines, labor groups, Congress and the Administration to improve air travel for everyone.
For more information about the airline industry, visit our website airlines.org and
our blog, A Better Flight Plan, at airlines.org/blog.
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