A proposal to double the current fee paid by air travelers to defray federal overhaul of aviation security following the September 11 terror attacks has been rejected.
By a voice vote, the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee threw out a plan offered by Republican leaders as part of a plan to raise nearly $30 billion for homeland security.
The ditched plan would have raised the fee paid by passengers to a maximum of $10 for one-way travel and $20 on round-trip fares. The current limits of $5 for one-way travel and $10 for round-trip fares became effective in February.
The proposed increase was viewed by the airlines industry and others as a tax increase that didn’t even garner the full support among House Republicans.
