Airports are flush. Why tax passengers even more?

Texas’ airport executives want travelers to pay more to fly. They’re lobbying Congress to raise taxes on airline tickets and dedicate that revenue to airport infrastructure projects.

Airports already have plenty of funding for infrastructure upgrades. Hiking ticket taxes would needlessly enrich airport operators at the expense of travelers. The members of Texas’s congressional delegation — particularly Sen. Ted Cruz, who heads the Senate’s Subcommittee on Aviation and Space — would be wise to oppose such hikes.

The lobbyists representing America’s airports are calling for an increase in the “passenger facility charge.” Congress first implemented this PFC tax in 1992. It’s currently capped at $4.50 per flight. On round-trip bookings with layovers, this levy can add as much $18 to each traveler’s airfare. That’s on top of a host of other taxes, such as the 7.5 percent federal excise tax on air travel, a $4 flight segment tax and a security fee.