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Yes, but note usually around 30% of the ticket price of a european short-haul flight is already other taxes. This is compared to train tickets that include a 30

Yes, but note usually around 30% of the ticket price of a european short-haul flight is already other taxes. This is compared to train tickets that include a 30%+ subsidy

wasmitnetzen 5y ago
Airports, especially smaller ones, are heavily subsidized in Europe.
- KennyBlanken 5y ago
  The US airline industry is massively subsidized. Every country heavily subsidizes air travel. The federal government spends $2BN/year on Amtrak and people lose their damn minds. Meanwhile, at the FAA, nearly $12BN/year...and that doesn't account for all the local and state funds used to subsidize airports. Or Department of Transportation spending...
  - TulliusCicero 5y ago
    How does that subsidy look per trip, though?
    - zdragnar 5y ago
      Amtrack moves just shy of 17 million passengers in a year. Airlines in the US do that in 8 days. That's works out to roughly 45x as many passengers, with only what, 6x the subsidies?
      - pastage 5y ago
        How does that translate to carbon foot print per dollar.
        xyzzyz 5y ago
        Most Amtrak trains are diesel powered.
      - afiori 5y ago
        > and that doesn't account for all the local and state funds used to subsidize airports. Or Department of Transportation spending... probably this counts for at least a few billions
      - xyzzyz 5y ago
        I think if you don't look at raw passenger figures, but instead at passenger-miles, it becomes even more lopsided in favor of airlines.
      - ZeroGravitas 5y ago
        American rail is apparently heavily biased towards moving freight. This may even be a good thing, but it'll throw out the numbers if you compare train to car or plane and don't include it.
  - nextos 5y ago
    Airlines seem to be a bad business in the long run. I recall a figure from MIT's microeconomics textbook (Pindyck et al.) where they showed the aggregate profits of all industry since its inception were negative. In EU, subsidies to airlines are an indirect subsidy to the tourism industry.
    - criddell 5y ago
      In the US I think airlines are really in the business of selling air miles and credit cards.

Yes, but note usually around 30% of the ticket price of a european short-haul flight is already other taxes. This is compared to train tickets that include a 30%+ subsidy

wasmitnetzen 5y ago

Airports, especially smaller ones, are heavily subsidized in Europe.

KennyBlanken 5y ago
The US airline industry is massively subsidized. Every country heavily subsidizes air travel. The federal government spends $2BN/year on Amtrak and people lose their damn minds. Meanwhile, at the FAA, nearly $12BN/year...and that doesn't account for all the local and state funds used to subsidize airports. Or Department of Transportation spending...
- TulliusCicero 5y ago
  How does that subsidy look per trip, though?
  - zdragnar 5y ago
    Amtrack moves just shy of 17 million passengers in a year. Airlines in the US do that in 8 days. That's works out to roughly 45x as many passengers, with only what, 6x the subsidies?
    - pastage 5y ago
      How does that translate to carbon foot print per dollar.
      - xyzzyz 5y ago
        Most Amtrak trains are diesel powered.
    - afiori 5y ago
      > and that doesn't account for all the local and state funds used to subsidize airports. Or Department of Transportation spending... probably this counts for at least a few billions
    - xyzzyz 5y ago
      I think if you don't look at raw passenger figures, but instead at passenger-miles, it becomes even more lopsided in favor of airlines.
    - ZeroGravitas 5y ago
      American rail is apparently heavily biased towards moving freight. This may even be a good thing, but it'll throw out the numbers if you compare train to car or plane and don't include it.
- nextos 5y ago
  Airlines seem to be a bad business in the long run. I recall a figure from MIT's microeconomics textbook (Pindyck et al.) where they showed the aggregate profits of all industry since its inception were negative. In EU, subsidies to airlines are an indirect subsidy to the tourism industry.
  - criddell 5y ago
    In the US I think airlines are really in the business of selling air miles and credit cards.