Air Traffic Control Tolls

For years, I've disliked toll roads. In 1970, I drove a Plymouth Roadrunner from Arizona to upstate New Hampshire with very little cash and a gasoline credit card that was good only for gasoline. I was doing well sleeping in my car and eating at McDonald's and Gino's, but toll roads in Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York made me take a lot of two lane highways and more time to reach home. More recently, driving to New Hampshire meant the JFK Memorial Highway, bridges and tunnels in Maryland, toll booths on I-95 in Delaware, the New Jersey Turnpike (ugliest road in America), the New York State Thruway and the Tappan Zee Bridge (where I once ran the toll booth and got a ticket in the mail). So much for the freedom of the highway.

I've begun thinking along a new line lately. When I pay those hated tolls, I'm helping to pay for a highway that I use. When I don't use them, I don't pay. Gee, perhaps that makes sense. When I avoid them, my trip takes a bit longer, but then I see new places at a slower pace. My 1970 trip turned out to be a delight because I couldn't afford the toll roads. I met more people, saw more towns, and, all in all, had a much more comfortable trip.

So what brought this up? The “Sequester.”

When Congress' lack of action mandated cutbacks in area after area, the Federal Aviation Agency found itself with insufficient funds to maintain a full contingent of Air Traffic Controllers. With fewer controllers on the job, air space management slowed and flights began to be delayed. The national press is having conniption fits over it, but a simple solution is available and almost immediately. Turn the cost of air traffic control over to the people who are using it. Charge a toll to every passenger on every airplane flown by every airline. Prorate the toll based on miles traveled, so that the passenger flying from Ben Epps to William P. Hobby doesn't pay the same as the passenger flying from JFK to LAX. Prorate the charge so that International passengers are charged for only that time they are in US airspace so those flying from CDG to JFK don't pay the same as those going from HKG to ORD.

Let's not forget those people who fly so much that the airlines reward them with free flights.  The cost of air traffic control should not be borne by the airline, but charged to the passenger.  

The equipment used in air traffic control should still be the responsibility of FAA, but air traffic controllers' salaries should be completely paid for by the tolls paid by passengers. Should the ATC system cause delays, then those passenger inconvenienced would receive appropriate compensation and those controllers involved would be docked that amount.

The ATC system should be paid for by those using it, not those who aren't flying.  

Oh, a couple of thoughts popped up.

A fellow named William Least Heat-Moon wrote a fascinating book, Blue Highways, about his journeys on highways colored blue on the map. Great reading.

Is the waiting area at Houston's Hobby Airport called the Hobby Lobby?

Do frequent fliers and travel industry employees pay income taxes on the free flights they take?