Passenger Fees FAQ

Air carriers must continue to fulfill the record keeping and reporting requirements as provided in 49 CFR § 1510.17.

If a passenger purchased air transportation from a public charter operator, which means paying the charter operator in full for air transportation, at any time prior to December 19, 2014, the public charter operator must collect the September 11 Security Fee in place prior to December 19, 2014. Conversely, if the passenger purchased public charter air transportation on or after December 19, 2014, the public charter operator must collect the revised September 11 Security Fee.

The direct or foreign air carrier operating the public charter flight must then collect the September 11 Security Fee from the public charter operator and remit the security fees to TSA the earlier of:

• The time the direct or foreign air carrier received funds from the public charter escrow account; or
• The date the direct or foreign air carrier operated the flight.

Note that the direct and foreign air carrier remittance date to TSA has no effect on the amount of the fee that should be collected from the passenger. The remittance amount is based on when the passenger purchased public charter air transportation from the public charter operator. 

In the case of prepaid air transportation, if the passenger fully prepaid air transportation prior to December 19, 2014, and the carrier issued a ticket against the prepaid amount on or after December 19, 2014, the carrier must collect the September 11 Security Fee in effect prior to December 19, 2014, for that ticket because TSA considers the air transportation to have been purchased prior to December 19, 2014.

The imposition and collection of the September 11 Security Fee will remain at $5.60 per one-way trip on air transportation sold on or after 12:01 AM Eastern Standard Time December 19, 2014, except that the fee imposed per round trip shall not exceed $11.20.

See the chart below for further itinerary examples that detail imposition of the fee prior from July 21, 2014 to December 18, 2014 and on and after December 19, 2014.

Example 1: Air transportation from Washington to Chicago to Los Angeles with a stopover only in Los Angeles that returns via the same route purchased before December 19, 2014, is charged a $11.20 fee for two one-way trips. If the passenger changed the itinerary to Washington to Los Angeles with only a stopover in Los Angeles and returns via the same route and the ticket is re-priced on or after December 19, 2014, the carrier must continue to charge the September 11 Security Fee of $11.20 for one round trip. 

Example 2: Air transportation from Washington to Chicago to Los Angeles purchased before December 19, 2014, is charged a $5.60 fee. If the passenger changed the itinerary to Washington to Los Angeles with a stopover in Los Angeles and returns via the same route and the ticket is re-priced on or after December 19, 2014, the carrier must charge the revised September 11 Security Fee of $11.20. 

Example 3: Air transportation from Washington to Chicago to Los Angeles purchased before December 19, 2014, is charged a $5.60 fee. If the air carrier changed the itinerary to Washington to Los Angeles on or after December 19, 2014, neither the carrier nor the passenger is liable for a revised September 11 Security Fee. The fee remains $5.60.

If a direct or foreign air carrier does not properly collect the fee from the passenger, the direct or foreign air carrier is still solely liable to TSA for the fee.

If a passenger purchased a ticket before December 19, 2014, and changed the original itinerary and the ticket changed in price December 19, 2014, the carrier must treat the itinerary change as a new purchase and charge the revised September 11 Security Fee.

If however, a passenger purchased a ticket before December 19, 2014, and changed the amenities of that ticket on or after December 19, 2014, the carrier must not treat the transaction as a new purchase of air transportation and continue to collect the fee as in effect prior to December 19, 2014. Amenities include seating changes, meals or other items not related to air transportation.

TSA modified the definition of “stopover” to make a distinction not only between domestic and foreign travel, but to recognize that non-continental U.S. air transportation (outside the contiguous 48 states) is more like foreign air transportation than continental air transportation. Stopover means a break in travel of more than:

• four hours (4) for continental interstate and intrastate air transportation
• twelve hours (12) for non-continental interstate and intrastate air transportation as well as foreign air transportation.

Under 49 CFR § 1510.13(a), direct and foreign air carriers must remit all September 11 Security Fees imposed each calendar month to TSA by the last calendar day of the month following the imposition of the fee. Therefore, direct and foreign air carriers must remit any September 11 Security Fees imposed on air transportation sold during the month of December 2014, no later than January 31, 2015.

Effective December 19, 2014, TSA adjusted the fee in accordance with H.R.5462, which limits the maximum fee for round trips to $11.20.