Did you know you pay a Passenger Facility Charge, or PFC, when you fly? Started in 1990, the program is designed to raise tax money for airport infrastructure projects, and are capped at $4.50 per PFC, with no more than two PFC's being charged for a one-way trip. Airports want higher rates, saying the payments aren't tracking with inflation. Airlines want lower rates, saying the fee inhibits air travel.
The Government Accountability Office, or GAO, Congress' watchdog arm, researched possible alternate methods to collect PFC's. Currently the fees are added onto the price of airline tickets. Investigators found three possible alternatives: have passengers pay the fee at kiosks or counters, have passengers pay online or have passengers pay with their smartphones.
However, the GAO noted that all three alternatives would create extra steps for travelers, and none would be as convienent as the current method of adding payments onto tickets.
