Congress last week failed to come to an agreement to keep the Federal Aviation Administration running, sending the agency into a partial shutdown. Air traffic controllers are still at work, and no flights were canceled, but 4,000 employees were furloughed and construction projects halted. The FAA also stopped collecting federal taxes added to airline ticket prices, depriving the government of an estimated $200 million a week. The airline industry quietly raised ticket prices by the same amount as the taxes. “The consumer should have saved anywhere from $25 to $50 round-trip,” said Rick Seaney of FareCompare​.com. “Instead, it’s a windfall for the airlines.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.