A YouTube video by the The New York Times explained how air travelers in economy class, or "the seat recline in your face class" of commercial airlines, are helping to subsidize the luxury travel of private jet users.
"This is a reflection of society in many areas," said one commenter. "The rich used their money to gain power and use that power to become richer."
The video explains that when we fly on a commercial plane, we pay a Federal Aviation Administration tax of 7.5%. This fee goes to support air traffic control.
This tax originated in the air travel boom of the 1970s in order to expand airports and air traffic control infrastructure.
While commercial passengers pay this fee per ticket, private jets do not sell tickets, so they do not pay this fee. Congress, instead, imposed a fuel tax on private jets that was much higher than for commercial jets. Even so, private jet travel accounts for 7% of air travel, but only pays 0.6% of FAA fees.
As an example, the video illustrates how, traveling between Atlanta and Orlando, one of the busiest commuter routes in the country, passengers on a commercial jet would collectively pay about $2,300. The same route would cost only $60 for a private jet.
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Per person, private jets contribute much more to planet-warming air pollution than commercial airlines do. Private jets can be five to 14 times more polluting per person than commercial planes.
To further illustrate the discrepancy, the video explains that the current funding model is the equivalent of the federal government opening a parking garage and charging each vehicle $20 to park, but the fanciest cars would be charged only 25 cents.
"That's essentially our current model for funding the FAA," the video states.
In Canada, the national fee is based on the weight of the plane and the distance traveled. The targeted message of the video is a plea from the New York Times Editorial Board to the U.S. Congress to persuade them to replace the current FAA fees with a similar funding model.
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The video asks, "So, Congress, are you gonna ride with them or with us?"
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Should the ultra-wealthy pay a tax to help offset their environmental impact?
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