Originally Posted by JRF
By the way, I am not sure, but I do not think DL has to collect the taxes, as long as they pay the taxes to the govt. I am not sure... but I am pretty sure the govt does not care where the money comes from so long as they get it.
Exactly. There is scant evidence that airlines actually collect any taxes from passengers; if they were able to pass along taxes, they would naturally pass along increased fuel costs, and all have failed at that.
Some states have laws prohibiting merchants from paying sales taxes on behalf of customers (and failing to add it to the bill), but federal airfare taxes contain no such provisions. Airlines have to itemize the ticket for the passenger, but there's no law that prohibits airlines from just paying the tax.