The keyword term "September 11th fee" functions as a noun phrase. The core word is the noun "fee," which is modified by the proper noun "September 11th" acting as an adjective to specify the type of fee. The phrase refers to the September 11th Security Fee, a United States federal charge applied to commercial airline tickets to fund aviation security.
This fee was established by the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which was enacted by the U.S. Congress in November 2001 in direct response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The legislation created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the revenue generated by this charge is the primary source of funding for the TSA's operations. These operations include passenger and baggage screening at airports, the employment of Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), and the deployment of security technologies.
In practical application, the fee is collected by airlines from passengers at the time of ticket purchase and is itemized on the receipt under government taxes and fees. The amount is a fixed rate per one-way trip, currently $5.60, and is not based on the ticket price. This structure directly links the cost of enhanced aviation security to the users of the air transportation system, providing a dedicated funding mechanism for national security measures at U.S. airports.
