US security tax to double?

PASSENGERS travelling from US airports may soon pay double the 9.11 passenger security fee if a proposal by the Obama administration is accepted.

The administration proposed doubling the security fee and then raising it in successive years through 2017 as part of the administration’s deficit reduction plan.

Passengers travelling from US airports currently pay a security fee of US$2,50 per flight segment with a cap of US$5 one-way and US$10 per round trip. The proposal would raise the fee to US$5 for all one-way trips and US$10 per round trip.

For the majority of passengers who do not connect or change flights during their journey, this represents a doubling of the charge. Furthermore, under the proposal, the round trip charge would increase by US$1 per year between 2013 and 2017.

Commenting on the proposed increase, Iata director general and ceo, Tony Tyler, commented that airlines and their passengers were being asked to pay for national security, although it “clearly” is a responsibility of government.

“To add insult to injury, more than half of the increased revenue from the higher fee will be diverted into the general fund and will not be used to make air travel more secure.

 “This is absolutely the wrong approach. Aviation is a catalyst for growth in the worldwide economy. The economic outlook is uncertain and confidence among both businesses and consumers is low. Making air travel progressively more expensive is not a sound economic strategy. A similar per-passenger tax in The Netherlands cost the economy more than it collected in revenues,” said Tyler, adding that, “globally aviation supports US$3.5 trillion in economic activity and 33 million jobs.”

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