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  • Commercial aviation helps drive more than 10M American jobs and 5 cents of every dollar of U.S. GDP

  • Commercial aviation drives more than $1 trillion per year in economic activity

  • In 2012, U.S. airlines moved more than 48,000 tons of cargo per day

  • In 2012, the value of a kilogram of U.S. merchandise exported by air averaged 121 times the value exported by sea

  • For every 100 airline jobs, some 360 are supported outside of the airline industry

  • Federal taxes constitute $61 – or 20% – of the price of a typical $300 domestic round-trip ticket

  • In 2011, U.S. airlines carried 16 percent more passengers and cargo using 10 percent less fuel than in 2000

  • Domestically, airlines drive 5% of economic activity but account for 2% of man-made GHG emissions

  • From 2000-2011, airlines reduced GHG emissions by 11% while transporting 16% more passengers and cargo

  • From 1975-2011, U.S. airlines and their partners reduced significant noise exposure by 99%

  • Commercial air travel is the safest form of intercity transportation in the United States

  • In the most recent decade, scheduled air service on U.S. airlines was seven times safer than in the 1970s

  • From 2000-2012, U.S. airlines improved the on-time arrival rate from 72.6% to 81.9%

  • From 2000-2012, U.S. airlines reduced the flight cancellation rate sharply from 3.30% to 1.29%

  • Airfares are a bargain: From 2000-2012, U.S. CPI rose 33% while average domestic fare rose just 14%

  • Adjusted for inflation, the average round-trip domestic airfare fell 15% from 2000

  • 2007 domestic flight delays cost the United States approximately $31 billion

  • In 2012, the value of U.S. merchandise exported by air reached an all-time high of $427B

  • In 2012, U.S. exports of air-travel services reached an all-time high of $39.5B, driving a $5.1B trade surplus

  • In 2012, U.S. passenger and cargo airlines spent more than $50B on fuel, averaging 36% of operating expenses

  • In 2012, U.S. airlines posted the lowest annual rate of mishandled baggage ever recorded

  • FAA projects U.S. air travel demand to top 1 billion passengers in 2027

  • In 2012, US airlines flew 83.4 million passengers in scheduled international service - a record high

  • In 2012, the total value of merchandise exported from or imported to the United States by air exceeded $927 billion

  • In 2012, 7.15 teragrams of merchandise was exported from or imported to the United States by air

Government-Imposed Taxes on Air Transportation

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​Along with traditional income and payroll taxes, airlines and their customers (passengers and shippers) pay many special taxes and fees to a variety of authorities, both at home and abroad. Among the stated purposes of these taxes and fees are homeland (national) security, environmental protection, agriculture inspection, infrastructure enhancement, airport and airway operations and maintenance, and agency financing. See The Taxation of Air Transportation by Dr. Kenneth Button for an in-depth review. U.S. and foreign taxes have grown in number, amount, and scope since the advent of air transport.

The amount a passenger pays in taxes and fees on a ticket varies according to his itinerary, including the number of times he or she boards a new flight and at what airports. [Note: Foreign-levied aviation taxes are numerous and varied. The burden is exacerbated by tax "competition" between the U.S. and foreign governments, as well as local airport authorities, and has grown with the advent of post-Sept. 11 security fees. The most comprehensive and current source of tax information available is the IATA List of Ticket and Airport Taxes and Fees. Contact the International Air Transport Association (IATA) directly for pricing information.] In addition to the special taxes and fees captured in the table below, the Federal Aviation Administration also charges overflight fees to operators of aircraft that fly in U.S.-controlled airspace, but neither take off nor land in the United States. Taxes and fees shown do not include those levied directly on the airline (e.g., income, property, franchise, sales/use, payroll, fuel).
 

Special (Commercial/General) Aviation Taxes

1972

1992

1/1/2013

AIRPORT & AIRWAY TRUST FUND (FAA)

 

 

 

Passenger Ticket Tax 1a (domestic)

8.00%

10.00%

7.50%

Flight Segment Tax 1a (domestic)

---

---

$3.90

Frequent Flyer Tax 2

---

---

7.50%

International Departure Tax 3

$3.00

$6.00

$17.20

International Arrival Tax 3

---

---

$17.20

Cargo Waybill Tax 1b (domestic)

5.00%

6.25%

6.25%

Commercial Jet Fuel Tax (domestic flights not continuing ex-USA)

---

---

4.3¢

Noncommercial Jet Fuel Tax (domestic) -- n/a to airline ops

7.0¢

17.5¢

21.8¢

Noncommercial AvGas Tax (domestic) -- n/a to airline ops

7.0¢

15.0¢

19.3¢

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA)

 

 

 

LUST Fuel Tax 4 (domestic)

---

0.1¢

0.1¢

LOCAL AIRPORT PROJECTS

 

 

 

Passenger Facility Charge

---

Up to $3.00

Up to $4.50

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS)

 

 

 

September 11th Fee 5

---

---

$2.50

Aviation Security Infrastructure Fee 6

---

---

Varies

APHIS Passenger Fee 7

---

$2.00

$5.00

APHIS Aircraft Fee 7

---

$76.75

$70.75

Customs User Fee 8

---

$5.00

$5.50

Immigration User Fee 9

---

$5.00

$7.00

 
 
1. (a) Applies only to domestic transport or to journeys to Canada or Mexico within 225 miles of the U.S. border; (b) Applies only to flights within the 50 states. Both a and b are prorated on journeys between the mainland United States and Alaska/Hawaii
2. Applies to the sale, to third parties, of the right to award frequent flyer miles
3. Does not apply to those transiting the United States between two foreign points; $8.60 on flights between the mainland United States and Alaska/Hawaii
4. Congress created the Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Trust Fund in 1986 to 1) provide money for overseeing and enforcing corrective action taken by a responsible party, who is the owner or operator of the leaking UST and 2) provide money for cleanups at UST sites where the owner or operator is unknown, unwilling, or unable to respond, or which require emergency action
5. Funds TSA at up to $5 per one-way trip and $10 per round trip since 2/1/02; suspended 6/1/03-9/30/03
6. Aviation Security Infrastructure Fee; funds TSA since 2/18/02; suspended 6/1/03-9/30/03
7. Since 5/13/91 (passenger fee) and 2/9/92 (aircraft fee), funds agricultural quarantine and inspection services conducted by CBP (previously by the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) per 7 CFR 354; APHIS continues to perform certain Agricultural Quarantine Inspection (AQI)-related functions that are funded by user fee collections
8. Since 7/7/86, funds inspections by U.S. Customs and Border Protection; passengers arriving from U.S. territories and possessions are exempt; also see CBP cargo security site
9. Since 12/1/86, the majority of the collections fund inspections by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and a smaller portion of the collections fund certain activities performed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that are related to air and sea passenger inspections

The following table illustrates the application of government-imposed taxes on a hypothetical domestic itinerary. Taxes shown do not include those levied directly on the airline (e.g., income, property, franchise, sales/use, payroll, fuel).  
 

Sample Round-Trip Itinerary: Peoria (PIA) - Raleigh/Durham (RDU) via Chicago O'Hare (ORD)

Base Airline Fare

$238.51

:  Federal Ticket (Excise) Tax (7.5%)

17.89

:  Passenger Facility Charge (PIA)

4.50

:  Federal Flight Segment Tax (PIA-ORD)

3.90

:  Federal Security Surcharge (PIA-ORD)

2.50

:  Passenger Facility Charge (ORD)

4.50

:  Federal Flight Segment Tax (ORD-RDU)

3.90

:  Federal Security Surcharge (ORD-RDU)

2.50

:  Passenger Facility Charge (RDU)

4.50

:  Federal Flight Segment Tax (RDU-ORD)

3.90

:  Federal Security Surcharge (RDU-ORD)

2.50

:  Passenger Facility Charge (ORD)

4.50

:  Federal Flight Segment Tax (ORD-PIA)

3.90

:  Federal Security Surcharge (ORD-PIA)

2.50

Total Taxes

61.49

Total Ticket (Fare + Taxes)

$300.00

Taxes as % of Fare

25.8%

Taxes as % of Ticket

20.5%

 


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