Originally Posted by
Andy
You might want to look into the Airport and Aviation Trust Fund, which gets its money from aviation taxes and funds all of those 'subsidies'. Most of the money that goes into the AATF is from taxes on airline passenger tickets.
Air travel is one of the most heavily taxed purchases one can make in the US.
The AATF also funds more than 80% of the FAA budget.
In FY2017, the AATF collected more than $15B in taxes.
But sure, stick with that 'subsidy' narrative.
Taxes on the tickets passengers buy is separate from the various subsidies the airlines themselves get.
The aviation trust fund is funded by the passengers, not the airlines.
(and no, if the tax were eliminated the airlines would not pass the savings along to the passengers, or the extra money earned to the employees, they would just pocket it and all the employees would jump up and down with glee at the record profits their employer was making)