Better buy your tickets soon, congress is planning another tax on airline tickets
 

Have you ever bought an airline ticket recently? It is almost as bad as car rentals. Take the base price and add about 30 percent in taxes and junk fees. <BR> <BR>Now congress is planning on adding another fee for increased security. As much as $2.50 per flight or $10.00 RT. That is on top of the existing $2.50 per flight federal excise tax, up to $4.50 per flight segment fee and 10% federal tax. With all the existing taxes, which are not even spent on aviation in many cases, can American air travelers afford another set of taxes and surcharges?

FYI - the foreign carrier I'm on later this week has already added $5 per leg as a security fee. Lets all be happy to pay it ... a wise and timely investment. Like we're really going to miss that small amount. Lets expand our vision slightly, shall we. Or if you prefer, get serious. Ciao

I can think of several hundred persons who would have gladly paid a fee for added security on their flights... Only they died on Sept. 11. Mr. Broke Traveler, I suggest you stay home and count your money.

I understand that part of the passenger facility charge we are already paying goes to security, so why do we need to pay more? How about some of the 40% of my income that goes to federal taxes being spent on airline security. We are being nickled and dimed to death with all these special surcharges and fees!

I think that all these people who are so happy to pay all these extra taxes and surcharges on car renatl and airplane tickets are missing the point. <BR> <BR>If you add to many taxes to car renatl and airline tickets the costs will become so high that people will not fly (or rent cars). What happens then, our economy fails. <BR> <BR>Those of you that think that adding up to an additional $10.00 per ticket for security do not understand that we are already paying about 30% on each ticket on a variety of taxes and surcharges. Each individual fee does not add up to all that much, but as the number of fees/surcharges continues to increase, it becomes some real money, enough to make people to decide that it is just to expensive to travel. <BR> <BR>What will the next surcharge be? Another "airline bail out surcharge"?

In 1991 I remember paying for a ticket to Paris from EWR $800. In 1999 i paid $280, in 2000 I payed $450. For my coming trip during Christmas 2001 I payed $520. For my coming trip in February 2002 I payed $421. Well, I don't know how this works but in my opinion tickets are cheaper now than 10 years ago. My husband and I will be glad to pay extra and will keep on flying

Thanks for pointing this out, "xyzwoman". <BR>Perhaps some of you complainers would like to look back at the history of airfares over the past 30 years and index them compared to the inflation rate and cost of living in the US. <BR>You'll then realize just how amazingly cost efficient airfares have remained over time. <BR>Fares are a tremendous bargain compared to the change in cost of housing, cars, hotels, etc etc etc. <BR> <BR>And I seriously doubt that adding $10 to fares is going to precipitate the demise of all airline travel and destroy the economy, Sheri. <BR> <BR>Too many Americans believe air travel is a birthright and that it should be available and affordable to all just like the city bus. Why? Who says so? <BR>The age of entitlement is here.

Inexpensive airfares, during the last few years, have made the tourist economies, of places like Orlando, Las Vegas and other sun belt cities, boom. <BR> <BR>If the fares goes up significantly due to all the additional surcharges and fees related to the airport security and airline financial troubles, whese places will suffer greatly. <BR> <BR>For example, if the fares rise 30 percent from the northeast USA to Orlando, maybe twenty percent of the people who had planned a trip there will decide it is not affordable to go on the trip. What impact will that have on the Orlando economy, which is dependent on tourism? (50 percent of the people who come to Orlando fly into the city.) <BR> <BR>We need to keep the airfares low, or the tourism economy will fail. I suggest all tax payer pay for extra security at the airport.

You people who criticize the government for malfeasance and at the same time for taxing you just can't have it both ways. <BR> <BR>There is a REASON for taxes -- some things need to be paid for. You can't wander around a "free country" without such things as security, roads, runways, etc. and they need to be paid for. <BR> <BR>I'm willing to bet that Broke traveler is one of those who owns a house can itemize his deductions and actually get his tax burden down below what permanent renters pay -- that the 70% of his after-tax income leaves him an amount to live on that the majority of Americans would be happy to have. <BR> <BR>Suck it up, "broke traveler," and just pay the darn extra $30 -- you'll hardly miss it and if you are traveling for business, it's deductible anyway.

Let me get this right I should run out and buy my ticket because I might pay an extra $12. The hysteria does not make cents to me.

Yes, people like to save money. I saw lines of 100 cars at a gas station that advertised gas at 50 cents a gallon, why shouldn't we jump before the cost of flying goes up?

I'd gladly pay more if we could just get those flights out on time! Scheduling is a complete farce. Flew shortly after events of 9/11, all flights were wheels up on time!!! No sitting on runway, making time up in the air. Noticed all approaches different as well. Sad that it took a tragedy of epic proportions to force airlines to admit too many flights, not enough runway. Need more realistic schedules, which will cause fares to increase.