Taxes on passengers and airlines have skyrocketed 400 percent over the past two decades
While millions of Americans are paying their annual taxes today, for more than two million air travelers across the country, every day is tax day according to Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines.
Today, 21 percent or $63 of a typical $300 domestic one-stop, round-trip domestic ticket comes out of the traveler’s pocket and goes straight to the government. Aviation and its customers pay 17 different federal taxes and fees that totaled over $20 billion in 2014. In fact, air travel is taxed at much higher rates than other modes of transportation. Aviation’s federal tax rate is higher than that of alcohol or tobacco – products taxed to discourage their use.