Plans by the US administration to double a passenger security fee imposed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks a decade ago has been condemned by IATA.
The proposal as part of President Barack Obama’s deficit reduction plan would see passengers travelling from US airports charged $5 for all one-way trips and $10 return. They currently pay a security fee of $2.50 per flight segment with a cap of $5 one-way and $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,” IATA said. “Furthermore, under the proposal, the round trip charge would increase by $1 per year between 2013 and 2017.”
IATA chief executive and director general Tony Tyler attacked the proposal, saying: “Airlines and their passengers are 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. Globally, aviation supports $3.5 trillion in economic activity and 33 million jobs.”