I've been in aviation since 1973. I remember what it was like. To be an airline pilot back then was like being a neurosurgeon or something like that ( don't take me seriously on that one). The public perception today is that we are a highly paid bunch of bus drivers that still make that kind of money like back then. The public thinks we are all rich beyond belief, just because we fly airplanes. We will never be able to educate them otherwise.

As far as a $5 fee. We ALL would like to make a little more money, ya know, feed our kids, ourselves, etc. We do not need anymore government intervention on what we do. If they said "We have to implement a $5 fee for this or for that" John Q. Public would have a ******fit. And then the cost of mandating and implementing this would be horrendous. Remember how well and "efficient" our elected officials run things. Okay, rant over.