250 Workers Protest LAX Fee Hike
About 250 miffed employees from Los Angeles International Airport marched on City Hall Tuesday to protest several fee increases being considered for LAX.
The city would like to receive more revenue from LAX and has been considering increasing the jet fuel tax and landing fees as well as requesting $350 million in unpaid interest from a loan made by the city to the airport in 1930.
The sign-carrying protesters pointed out that the fee increases would hurt airline profits, which in turn would result in airport and airline layoffs.
But Noelia Rodriguez, a spokesman for Mayor Richard Riordan’s office, maintains that Los Angeles has one of the lowest jet fuel fees among big-city airports in this country.
“We are not even in the top 10,” she said. “To say we are being unreasonable is an unreasonable argument.”
The protesters are members of Citizens for a Strong LAX, formed by the Air Transport Assn., which represents several airlines at LAX.
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