----- Original Message ----- From: "Alireza Alivandivafa" <DEmocrat2n@xxxxxxx> To: <AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, October 27, 2003 19:07 Subject: Re: [AIRLINE] incl taxes > In a message dated 10/27/2003 9:43:18 PM Eastern Standard Time, damiross2@xxxxxxxxxxx writes: > > > Then don't read it. I don't consider what I wrote to be "alarmist > > anti-government rhetoric." If you haven't noticed, the airline industry is > > in bad shape. The government adding taxes to the price of a > > ticket (and > > cargo, too) is not helping them. > > I think most would agree that I follow the industry. Also, most airlines are returning to profits, and some have never left profit. A total of 20 or so dollars for a trip in taxes is not bad at all, especially considering that it feeds the best aviation system in the world. These taxes have been in place when airlines were doing well too, except the security fee to pay for the "take-off your boots" administration. Excuse me? "A total of 20 or so dollars for a trip in taxes is not bad at all"? You really should stay out of the smoked-filled casinos if the smoke is going to affect you that bad. On a round trip, the security fee is $5, the segment fee is $6. That's $11 and we haven't even included the passenger tax of 7.5% nor (in many cases) a passenger facility charge of $3 to $6. Try looking at the tax rate as a percentage of the tax 3 airlines have maintained profitability over the past few years. The top 6 are barely making a profit. Yes, one made $34 million (or is that $43 million) but that's a drop in the hat. No, Alireza, the taxes paid on an airline ticket are extremely high, especially on short-haul and multi-stop flights. No matter how you look at it, the minimum you'll get away with in taxes is 15%; in most cases the tax will be 20% or more. Just to prove a point, let me show you some fares with their taxes (all trips are roundtrips) DAL/HOU nonstop Fare: 81.86 Taxes: 17.14 (42%) LAX/LAS nonstop fare: 53.96 taxes: 22.54 (42%) LAX/SDF (Louisville, 2 enroute stops to SDF, 1 on the return) fare: 221.39 taxes: 56.61 (26%) SJC/BWI (nonstop each way) fare: 221.39 taxes: 36.61 (17%) IAH/MEX (nonstop each way) fare: 208.00 taxes: 76.96 (37%) Yes, I realize I'm just a <sarcasm begin>simple ol' boy who is paranoid of the government<sarcasm end> but can you truly say that I'm wrong when I say the taxes are too high? David R http://home.attbi.com/~damiross http://home.attbi.com/~damiross/books.html