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Airports are largely self-funded by user fees (or via federal funds which come from other user fees and fuel taxes), and airlines (except for bailouts in 2008-2
by rdl 9y ago
Airports are largely self-funded by user fees (or via federal funds which come from other user fees and fuel taxes), and airlines (except for bailouts in 2008-2009) are almost entirely commercially funded.
http://airportsforthefuture.org/did-you-know/ http://airportsforthefuture.org/did-you-know/
Air is the true competitor to the long-haul train in the US. It is cheaper and faster. There are separate arguments for/against transit and regional trains, but long-haul passenger rail, which is what is discussed in TFA, is essentially a novelty.
- fulafel 9y agoThere's the small problem that air travel is environmentally unsustainable, with no fix in sight. It should be heavily taxed to account for the env. externalities.
- rdl 9y agoTaxes to account for environmental externalities (in the case of air travel, noise, CO2, altitude-related pollutants are probably the main things) make sense for everything. Air travel beats road and rail in some cases on this, doesn't in others. Taxes and thus pricing in all the costs would let consumers decide.