Air Travel Has Gone Horridly, Horridly Wrong
In lieu of spending 12 hours on a bus each way to Montreal in January for McGill's Model UN event, I thought I'd take a look at what it would cost to fly there. Consider the following breakdown of fees:
Fare Summary
Departing airfare (Econo) Rules** 82.00
Returning airfare (Econo) Rules** 82.00
Airfare 164.00
Navcan and Surcharges 27.90
Canada Airport Improvement Fee 17.59
Taxes
Canada Goods and Services Tax (GST/HST #10009-2287) 1.23
U.S.A Transportation Tax 14.40
U.S. Flight Segment Tax 9.30
U.S Passenger Facility Charge 4.50
Canada Quebec Sales Tax (QST #1000-043-172) 0.92
Canada Security Charge 7.65
September 11 Security Fee 2.50
U.S.A Immigration User Fee 7.00
Number of Passengers 1
Total 256.99
This is why flying anywhere is becoming rapidly insane. More to the point, I think it's a millstone around the necks of airlines when they are trying to deliver fares that strike the flying public as worthwhile and yet remain profitable for the company. Consider how Air Canada, even if it flew me to Montreal for free, would still have to levy almost $100 in taxes. I've also been encountering the same madness in my attempts to find a low-fare ticket to Paris for the Christmas holidays. Plenty of airlines will fly me for $350 into their pockets, but I'll have to pay another $200 in taxes and "fees" to various agencies.
Arguably this is the place to step in and say that the system works, because it levies infrastructure taxes on those who actually use the infrastructure, rather than spreading the tax burden through the entire taxpayer base. I think I vouch for most flyers fed up with high fares when I say that we have every right to be indignant over the opaqueness of the charges -- what's the difference between a USA Transportation Tax and a USA Flight Segment Tax? -- and the silly way in which these dollars are spent. The new terminal at Detroit Metro airport is certainly beautiful, but it's mostly paid for through charges levied by the airport on each passenger traveling through. If you could cut $10 off every ticket in return for fewer giant wall LCDs, no artwork by famous masters, and less chrome, we'd be damned happy.
And don't get me started on how shitty airport security really is, and how little return we get on our money paid out to the FAA. Anyone know whatever happened to replacement radar systems or the much-heralded MLS? Goodbye, billions of taxpayer dollars. Hello, radar consoles that are still UNIVACs.
I just want to fly to Europe for something less than a month's rent in a nice apartment in a middle class neighborhood in the midwest. Am I really asking too much?
Fare Summary
Departing airfare (Econo) Rules** 82.00
Returning airfare (Econo) Rules** 82.00
Airfare 164.00
Navcan and Surcharges 27.90
Canada Airport Improvement Fee 17.59
Taxes
Canada Goods and Services Tax (GST/HST #10009-2287) 1.23
U.S.A Transportation Tax 14.40
U.S. Flight Segment Tax 9.30
U.S Passenger Facility Charge 4.50
Canada Quebec Sales Tax (QST #1000-043-172) 0.92
Canada Security Charge 7.65
September 11 Security Fee 2.50
U.S.A Immigration User Fee 7.00
Number of Passengers 1
Total 256.99
This is why flying anywhere is becoming rapidly insane. More to the point, I think it's a millstone around the necks of airlines when they are trying to deliver fares that strike the flying public as worthwhile and yet remain profitable for the company. Consider how Air Canada, even if it flew me to Montreal for free, would still have to levy almost $100 in taxes. I've also been encountering the same madness in my attempts to find a low-fare ticket to Paris for the Christmas holidays. Plenty of airlines will fly me for $350 into their pockets, but I'll have to pay another $200 in taxes and "fees" to various agencies.
Arguably this is the place to step in and say that the system works, because it levies infrastructure taxes on those who actually use the infrastructure, rather than spreading the tax burden through the entire taxpayer base. I think I vouch for most flyers fed up with high fares when I say that we have every right to be indignant over the opaqueness of the charges -- what's the difference between a USA Transportation Tax and a USA Flight Segment Tax? -- and the silly way in which these dollars are spent. The new terminal at Detroit Metro airport is certainly beautiful, but it's mostly paid for through charges levied by the airport on each passenger traveling through. If you could cut $10 off every ticket in return for fewer giant wall LCDs, no artwork by famous masters, and less chrome, we'd be damned happy.
And don't get me started on how shitty airport security really is, and how little return we get on our money paid out to the FAA. Anyone know whatever happened to replacement radar systems or the much-heralded MLS? Goodbye, billions of taxpayer dollars. Hello, radar consoles that are still UNIVACs.
I just want to fly to Europe for something less than a month's rent in a nice apartment in a middle class neighborhood in the midwest. Am I really asking too much?