Hoping someone can help me with the particulars here.

Since I am not a lawyer (thank God), I may have some of the details confused.

As you may know, Congress has failed to renew the FAA's authority to collect excise taxes on airlplane tickets, so as of Saturday 07/23/11, airplane tickets should have become less expensive.

The reason they don't seem to have become less expensive is that most airlines have increased their base fares to compensate for the difference, creating the appearance to their customers that things haven't changed while pocketing the difference.

This pisses me off. So I'm thinking about creating a little noise.

I know it's not a lot of money on an individual $300 domestic coach ticket, but I purchased quite a few tickets (domestic & international) prior to 07/23/11 for travel after 07/23/11, including tickets for travel as soon as tomorrow.

Will US Airways be pocketing the excise taxes on the tickets in question? Am I entitled to a refund of the excise taxes I paid on the tickets in question? I guess it all might depend on several things, including when the "sale" is considered to have taken place, when the contract between me and the airline takes effect, and at what point in time the airlines are required to remit the taxes I paid to the government. The definitions above might be more ambiguously defined than they appear at first. For example, would the definitions change depending upon whether the ticket purchased was refundable or not?

I'm wondering whether/how to pursue a refund of the taxes I paid on the tickets in question. I don't even know whether it's a question to pose to the airline or the IRS? Anyone have any ideas?