With congressional approval, commercial airports controlled by public agencies could begin imposing passenger facility charges (PFCs)--collected via fees levied on airline tickets--on June 1, 1992, at up to $3.00 per passenger enplanement ($12.00 per round trip). With enactment of AIR-21, Congress raised the cap to $4.50 ($18.00 per round trip) effective April 1, 2001. PFCs are federally authorized but levied by local airport operators, which set the amounts.
PFCs can fund only federally approved capital improvement projects "that enhance safety, security, or capacity; reduce noise; or increase air carrier competition."
| ALLOCATION OF PFC FUNDS APPROVED BY FAA FOR COLLECTION |
% |
| Airside (i.e., runways, taxiways, aprons, equipment, planning lighting) |
18 |
| Landside (i.e., terminal, security) |
36 |
| Noise Abatement (i.e., land acquisition, soundproofing, monitoring, planning) |
5 |
| Access (i.e., roads, rail, land, planning) |
6 |
| Interest (i.e., payments on outstanding debt for eligible capital improvements) |
31 |
| Denver International Airport (payoff of 1990s construction) |
5 |
| TOTAL PFCs |
100 |
As of July 1, 2008:
- 372 locations (incl. 291 at $4.50) were approved to collect PFCs, incl. 95 of the top 100 airports
- 336 of those approved were in fact collecting
- Only four applications -- Austin, TX (AUS), Naples, FL (APF), Peoria, IL (PIA) and St. Augustine, FL (UST) -- out of 1,644 had ever been disapproved
| CALENDAR YEAR |
PFC COLLECTIONS ($) |
Weighted Avg. PFC Paid ($) |
| 1992 |
85,437,686 |
unknown |
| 1993 |
485,112,053 |
unknown |
| 1994 |
849,330,244 |
unknown |
| 1995 |
1,046,234,802 |
unknown |
| 1996 |
1,113,999,014 |
1.79 |
| 1997 |
1,222,882,438 |
1.91 |
| 1998 |
1,448,671,813 |
2.21 |
| 1999 |
1,514,695,981 |
2.21 |
| 2000 |
1,557,221,630 |
2.19 |
| 2001 |
1,585,700,220 |
2.40 |
| 2002 |
1,856,714,907 |
2.88 |
| 2003 |
2,014,991,244 |
3.10 |
| 2004 |
2,231,141,330 |
3.16 |
| 2005 |
2,447,660,596 |
3.32 |
| 2006 |
2,586,623,045 |
3.50 |
| 2007 |
2,806,097,619 |
not available |
| 2008F |
2,723,000,000 |
not available |
Notes:
2004 value includes $8,155,034 in corrections to actual collection amounts reported for 1992-2003.
2007 value includes -$18,093,832 in corrections to actual collection amounts reported for 1992-2007.