How Taxes and Fees Impact Airfares

Above, a commuter jet being readied at Cleveland International Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The government is making moves about increasing taxes on increasing taxes and fees. They are already high, but they doesn't seem to satiate the government's apppetite to get more money out of travelers.

Peter Greenberg, known as the "travel detective", has posted an article on what the government is already charging in taxes and fees on the traveler.

He begins with:

We all talk a lot about airlines charging extra for services, but do you know how much of your ticket price goes toward airline tax and fees? The answer might surprise you. Right now, when you buy a plane ticket, you’re also paying government taxes and fees, airport charges, and surcharges imposed by the carriers themselves.

Earlier this month, I posted a blog about the taxes and fees I was charged on my round-trip airfare to Japan. What began as a $160 ticket price, ended up over $800. We can thank Uncle Sam for this. Greenberg's article focuses on domestic airfare taxes and fees.

To read the article, go here.