Carriers Say Anti-Terrorism Costs Are Taxpayers' Responsibility

The airline industry, which two years ago was an active proponent of user fees for general aviation, now finds itself on the defensive against an Obama administration proposal to jack up its own user fees by 50 percent to cover bloated airport security costs. The proposal may bring a more serious look at the cost/benefit of what is commonly called "security theater."

The administration's expressed goal is to aid in deficit reduction by making airline passengers pay for 75 percent of the cost of security, up from the current 50 percent. But the airlines argue that it's not fair to single out their industry for that burden, any more than it would be fair to add a security fee to the prices of boxcutters, shoes or underpants.

Steve Lott of the Air Transport Association tells the New York Times, "No other mode of transportation bears the cost of security like the aviation industry and its passengers. Security should be a federal function, and it should be funded as such."

Lott also questions oversight of security spending. "The amount of money that the industry and its passengers have paid to fund security has soared 50 percent since 2002. Congress has a responsibility to scrutinize how the money is being spent."

Stephen Lord is director of homeland security issues at the Government Accountability Office, and backs up Lott's concern. He notes the infamous air puffer machines which had to be scrapped because they didn't work, and the $750 million spent on training and deploying specialized officers to conduct behavioral screening at airports with no solid evidence the tactic was effective. He tells the Times, "Usually you validate a concept and then you field it, but they deployed the program and then they started validating it, which we have some concerns about."

Bob Poole, director of transportation studies for The Reason Foundation, says he supports the premise of shifting security costs from taxpayers to travelers, and predicts it will bring more attention to excesses in spending on security.

In the meantime, the airlines are on the same page with general aviation on at least one issue - fighting the President's proposed $100 per-takeoff user fee on flights using air traffic control services.

FMI: www.airlines.org