NBTA has long supported the development of new security equipment that will make the skies safer than ever before. Programs like Registered Traveler and a successor to CAPPS II will not only improve the overall security for the commercial aviation system but also enhance the security screening process for all travelers. A reliable security screening process will play a large part in keeping our lanes of commerce and travel open for business.
However, as the attacks on our country and around the world prove, safety and security issues do not affect the travelers alone; rather, all Americans benefit from the security of our commercial aviation system. Airline passengers continue to be the only consumer group who are solely responsible for paying for their own safety.
NBTA believes that aviation security is national security. Therefore funding for aviation security programs should be taken from general revenue funds instead of user fees. Taxes and fees on airline tickets have increased 90% since 1989, while base fares for business travelers, including taxes, have increased 16%. Today, taxes and fees make up approximately 26% of the cost of the typical airline ticket.
If the U.S. government does not provide an efficient and low-cost aviation system for the nation’s vacationers, meeting planners, business men and women, service members, elected officials, educators, students, industrial employees, and all who reap the benefits of an effectual system, then travel paralysis will only add to broader worries about the economy. The ignition starting the wheels of economic recovery is dependent on an affordable, efficient and safe aviation system.
- Business travel is responible for $153.2 billion a year in spending in the United States
- The average spend at a destination a business trip is $493, compared to $398 for leisure travelers
- Among U.S. domestic business trips with spending of $1000 or more, 68% of the trips include air travel
- World travel demand is $4.5 trillion; with business travel standing at $489 billion. U.S. business travel is the largest in size; however it is 18th in growth. Predictions show growth slipping all the way down to 154th by 2013.
NBTA continues to consider this issue a top priority in the 110th Congress and will provide additional updates as events unfold. For additional information, please contact Shane Downey at sdowney@nbta.org.