FAA Shutdown: Delta To Refund Taxes Collected During Partial Shutdown

www.gadling.com:

There was hope and outcry last week after news broke that as part of its partial shutdown, the FAA wouldn't be collecting the fees that it assesses against domestic airline tickets. Looking forward to a tax holiday, many travelers started searching for tickets only minutes after the tax break went into effect -- only to learn that airlines had raised their ticket prices to wipe out any savings -- effectively pocketing the difference in price.

Read the whole story: www.gadling.com

Comments

[Dadzilla]

02:30 PM on 08/03/2011

Given that Delta is behind the shutdown, if I was getting the stick I'd make sure Delta was the last to be serviced. Need that plane inspected, serviced or pre-flighted, wait your turn, we will be with you... Seriously, labor ought to punish Delta with a slowdown, the kind that makes them bleed money.

[TheAntiOkie]

12:57 PM on 08/02/2011

What they should do is send them to the government.

[SitandStay]

10:47 PM on 08/01/2011

Delta Airlines......the airline that exemplifies what the lack of competition will do for customer service.

In all the years this carrier has had to provide transportation without abuse, they have failed to do so.
Eastern Air Lines went under in January 1990 and Delta has had no reason to pay attention to on-time performance, employee training that would result in a reasonable level of customer service and certianly NOT reasonable fares and fare rules.
They don't have to care. No competition equals very poor performance.

[MyResponsibility]

08:03 PM on 08/01/2011

I can tell you that this story is patently false. During this shutdown, I've purchased 4 RT tickets on Delta. Their ticket prices reflected the federal taxes as a separate line item. They did not increase their ticket price at all. They collected the tax and accrued it as a tax, not as revenue.

[notdarkyet]

12:35 AM on 08/02/2011

From what I heard they are only refunding to people who purchased tickets before the strike and actually have a tax paid line on their receipt. Maybe you should check and see if you get a refund.

[MyResponsibility]

02:18 PM on 08/02/2011

This is my point. The airline companies have been accused of raising their rates to absorb the previous tax as profit. It still showed up as a line item on my purchases, even though no tax was due. They collect the tax and pay it on to the taxing authority. In this case, they accrue it, but have nobody to pay. This isn't a profit, for they have to refund it. This HuffPo story is complete BS and is great manna for the gullible anti-capitalists. The joke's on them.

[The Contrary]

07:18 PM on 08/01/2011

FOOLISH. Why executives at Delta airlines (possibly others) foolishly think they can make deceptive profits on travelers back and get away with it? They must think we, Americans, are not intelligent or something? What have they gained other than damaging their "brand" and reinforce a "greedy" corporate image and possibly loosing market share to competitors (Alaska Airline is one of the airlines did not do what Delta did) for holding higher business ethical standards? Shareholders should be outraged because afterall, they are also the consumers and no consumers want to be cheated! Outrageous!