IRAN WAR

Editorial cartoon showing an IRS official in a dark suit holding a briefcase labeled "IRS" watching a commercial airplane taking off, depicting the tension between tax authorities and budget airlines seeking a tax holiday during the jet fuel crisis

Budget airlines want a tax holiday—but where’s yours?

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The Association of Value Airlines, representing Spirit, Frontier, and Allegiant, is asking Congress to suspend the 7.5 percent federal excise tax on domestic tickets and the $5.30 per-segment fee, citing the jet fuel crisis following the Iran war. On a typical $369 roundtrip fare, passengers already pay roughly $47 in mandatory taxes and fees, inflating ticket prices by about 13 percent. Without a requirement to pass savings to consumers, any tax holiday would function as a corporate subsidy rather than traveler relief.

Iran war

Have airlines failed you during the Iran war?

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As the war with Iran escalates, hundreds of thousands of travelers have found themselves stuck between closed airspaces and indifferent carrier policies. You might think a global airline would prioritize getting you out of harm’s way, but the reality is much more cynical. Airlines are looking at their bottom line first—not your safety