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:: Passenger Facility Charges |
During the late 1980's, the growth of air traffic put a great strain on the nation's airports: Flight delays were increasing, along with a higher volume of traffic, and the noise factor was becoming a definite cause for concern.
Unfortunately, the standard forms of revenue (landing fees and Federal and State airport grant programs, for example) were just not adequate enough to meet the demands placed on the airports by the ever increasing population in flight.
Luckily, Congress realized that this problem had to be addressed and implemented Legislation allowing capital funding sources to be utilized to expand the ailing airport infrastructure.
Now, why does all of this jargon concern you as a frequent flyer? If you have accumulated enough mileage to earn that illustrious ticket to your destination of choice, do not be surprised if you are charged a Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) of up to $3 in conjunction with this. (Just goes to prove that there is no such thing as a free award!) Some of the airlines are prepared to pay this charge on behalf of their program member, so you may want to check with them when you reserve your seat. All airports in the United States and its territories are currently authorized to collect Passenger Facility Charges.