(CNN) – At a time when airlines seem to be adding extra charges for everything from seats to snacks, there’s another fee in the works. This time, it’s transportation security officials who want you to pay more.
The agency, backed by Democrats in the Senate, wants to increase the security fee everyone pays with a ticket from $2.50 a flight. to $5.00 per one-way ticket. A total of $10.00 would be added to round-trip tickets.
“$10 is kind of pushing it to a limit. I mean I guess it’s only 5 dollars more, but I’m wondering, you know, how that fits in with-they already have a budget,” said passenger Moira Jeweler.
The TSA budget, like many in Washington, is set to be cut. The agency said boosting this fee would help cover the increase price of security like those costly scanners. The fee hasn’t been hiked in 10 years.
A powerful lobby is pushing against it.They don’t want the cost shifted onto their customers.
“Air security is a national security function and it’s something that all of us need to be behind as Americans, and the government should be picking up the cost of that.” said Airlines for America spokesman Sean Kennedy.
Republicans want to cut from other social programs to pay for the security fee increase. All of this has to be worked out right now, so that the TSA can get its funding for next year.
