What tax is charged on each take-off and landing at US airports?

• A. PFC
• B. Aviation tax
• C. Segment tax
• D. Landing tax

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that a per-segment tax is charged for each flight segment, which means for each takeoff and subsequent landing between two airports. In practice, every leg of a journey that involves taking off from one airport and landing at another incurs this tax. So a trip with two legs would incur the tax twice, while a direct one-leg flight incurs it once. This tax is a federal excise on the flight segment itself, separate from other charges you might see.

It’s helpful to distinguish this from other charges: a Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) is charged per passenger boarding at eligible airports to fund airport improvements, not per segment. The term “landing tax” isn’t a standard designation for US aviation taxes, and “Aviation tax” is a broad label that doesn’t pinpoint the per-segment mechanism. Therefore the tax described—charged on each flight segment—best matches the segment tax.