"It continued: “We urge the nation’s airlines to put all of the profits that they are making from the lapse of the aviation taxes into an escrow account” so they can be transferred back into the government’s Airport and Airway Trust Fund when Congress reinstates the taxes, adding that “our nation’s aviation system cannot afford to have this tax revenue siphoned off by the industry.”

I think this is the real key. None of the airlines believe that the govt. is just going to let this money go. They are going to come after it once the FAA gets funding. Then it would just come out of the bottom line. I heard at the crew lounge visit yesterday that this is exactly what we are doing. We are putting the money in escrow so that when the govt. comes looking for it we will have it. Just a another way for the govt to shift the focus off of them. Why this isn't our official statement is beyond me. We sure are getting bad press of this.