GUWonder

The TSA applied definition of $5.60 per "one-way trip" isn't one and the same as the more common definition of $5.60 per "one-way trip" -- at least if the USA Today article got it right. I have had some one-way domestic trips where this TSA creative definition of "one-way trip" would mean an increase to $16.80 in TSA taxes.

Just because a mileage ticket or some other discounted economy class ticket involves a long connection time of somewhat over 4 hours on a one-way trip, the passenger is going to have to pay way more in TSA taxes even as they aren't even generally being rescreened at the airport screening checkpoints at connection airports and have paid in time already? This seems to be a move aimed at financially hitting those flyers on way tighter budgets than the relatively rich folk in the DC area.

It sounds like this kind of creative redefinition of "one-way trip" by the TSA for tax grabbing purposes is going to disproportionately harm those passengers who are poorer and/or fly from smaller airports and/or fly on cheaper/mileage tickets than it will hit those financially padded types living the good life on the federal employment payrolls around DC.

Here on FT we kept being told that the airlines' "firing" or fleecing relatively poorer customers is great for business. And now we also have the TSA putting such non-rich customers in the firing line too by significantly hiking taxes on the element of passengers who are less able to afford it?

I have no doubt that the TSA's creative redefinition of roundtrip/one-way trips for tax purposes will stick once it is applied -- at least unless and until the airline lobbyists get their way and get to eat that money instead.