Release #13.66
December 11, 2013

Airline Ticket Tax Hike Harms U.S. Airline Industry and Its Employees

WASHINGTON–The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) released the following statement in adamant opposition to the increased airline ticket tax provision contained in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013.

“The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013’s airline ticket tax hike hits U.S. airlines and their employees with an enormous economic blow by adding billions in new taxes on air passengers. The increased tax is on top of the billions in taxes and fees that the U.S. government already unfairly imposes on U.S. airlines and their passengers, suppressing demand and slowing growth.

“The U.S. government should be 100 percent behind U.S. airlines and their workers as they seek to attract passengers and compete to win against state-owned foreign airlines in the global marketplace. Yet, this budget bill creates another economic burden on U.S. airlines and threatens the jobs that air transportation creates and the industry’s contribution to the U.S. economy.

“The U.S. government needs to stop looking at U.S. airlines and their passengers as a bottomless piggy bank to tax again and again. Instead, U.S. government leaders must advance pro-aviation policies that level the playing field and give U.S. airlines a fair fight in competing internationally.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing nearly 50,000 pilots at 32 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org.

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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703/481-4440 or Media@alpa.org