You can blame the federal government. In 1993, President Clinton proposed, and Congress approved, an aviation fuel tax. As part of President Clinton's five-year Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Bill, Congress levied a 4.3 cent per gallon tax on the transportation fuels. During this same time frame, nearly 120,000 airline jobs have been lost and 125,000 aircraft manufacturing jobs have been eliminated. Coincidentally, this tax would hit at a time when airlines are facing a federally mandated deadline to outfit their fleets with more expensive but quieter aircraft.
Heavy taxes are nothing new to the airlines or to their customers.
Whether you know it or not, every ticket you buy includes cost increases to help pay a whole host of taxes. If we can't get a permanent exemption now, we will push hard to have a two year exemption included in the final budget legislation the House will consider this November. Cutting government, saving jobs, and alleviating the tax burden on airline carriers and passengers alike is a good deal all around and I encourage the public to contact their Members of Congress to support these legislative efforts. With any luck at all, we can keep a few more dollars in your pocket and downsize a federal government that is too big and spends too much.