As if airline tickets weren't enough, prices will once again be going up, but this time its due to a TSA fee hike.
The Transportation Security Administration fees that are tagged on to ticket prices are about to rise. Congress agreed to raise the fees during December's budget negotiations. The additional fees are expected to bring in $12.6 million over the next 10 years, FOX reports.
The current fees are only $2.50 for a nonstop flight or $5 for a trip with a layover, but with the increase, the fees will be a flat rate of $5.60 and the TSA is looking to charge an extra $5.60 for each leg of the flight where there is a connection of more than four hours. The fee hike is expected to be implemented in July.
With the extra fee, travels with at least four hours between each flight can expect to pay $22.40. The TSA gave an example saying that if a traveler flew from Newark to Chicago to Denver to Las Vegas to Chicago to Newark, with four-hour connections between each city, they would pay $28 just in TSA fees.
Ross Feinstein, press secretary for the TSA, released a statement to FOXBusiness.com about the fee hike, saying, "As required by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, TSA has submitted an interim final rule to the Federal Register to restructure the September 11th Security Fee. In accordance with Federal Law, the revenue generated from the security fee will be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury. The revenue is to be used to offset TSA costs for providing civil aviation security services, after stipulated amounts are applied to reduction of the Federal deficit."
The rule will be published on Friday and the TSA will be collecting public comments for 60 days following in the Federal Register.
The TSA will be collecting public comment on the rule for 60 days following the publication in the Federal Register, and will be addressed in a final rule to come. However despite public comment, the rule will be published Friday, and will kick in 30 days later, meaning next month.
