GBTA: Don’t Balance the Budget on the Backs of Air Travelers

Alexandria, VA (July 29, 2019) – The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, salutes Congress and the Administration for coming to a budget agreement that did not increase or extend the existing onerous taxes on air travelers.

As the details of the budget deal were debated, GBTA communicated to members of Congress its opposition to increasing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) aviation passenger security fee from $5.60 to $6.60 in FY2020, and from $6.60 to $8.25 starting in FY2021.

“Air travel is an essential part of business travel, as companies send their travelers on over 144 million air trips a year,” said Scott Solombrino, GBTA COO. “The proposal would have cost passengers approximately $22.4 billion between 2020 and 2029, which is essentially a $2.2 billion increase annually over a 10-year period. I commend Congress and the Administration for rejecting this proposal.”

“GBTA is currently fighting for passage of the FASTER Act, legislation to end the current diversion of $.60 of the current aviation fee from air security to budget deficit” Solombrino continued. “This year, over $ 1 billion will be diverted from air travel security. The idea of increasing security fees while a significant amount is being diverted to pay down the deficit is insane. GBTA has and will continue to insist that all money that is collected for aviation security be used for aviation security.”

About the Global Business Travel Association
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. GBTA’s 10,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA delivers world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. To learn how business travel drives lasting business growth, visit gbta.org.