U.S. Airport and Airway Trust Fund

• These taxes supports the Federal Aviation Administration and the air traffic controllers. At the time of publication, they include a 7.5 percent tax on the base ticket price called a passenger ticket tax; a $3.70-per-leg flight segment tax that is charged for each takeoff and landing sequence (so twice in a one-way trip if you must change planes); a tax of $16.30 for international departures as well as arrivals; and commercial jet fuel taxes of a few cents per ticket.
  
  

Passenger Facility Charge

• This is another segment charge of $4.50 but it is capped at $18 per ticket sale. The passenger facility charge is levied by the airports and goes to fund their building and capital improvements. The improvements have to be federally approved. At the time of publication, according to the website Airlines.org, 382 airport sites were approved to collect the tax.
  
  

Department of Homeland Security

• The Security Fee has has been charged since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It is another segment charge of $2.50 per segment. It is capped at $10 per ticket. The money funds the Transportation Security Administration, which oversees security at the airport as well as in the air. Included in the list of Department of Homeland Security fees, passengers must also pay a $5 Animal and Plant Health Inspection fee when arriving after international flights, and a Customs user fee of $5.50.
  
  

Checked Bag Fee

• Previously you could check at least two bags without being charged any extra on your ticket. Now, many major airlines charge around $25 for the first bag you check and $25 to $125 for each additional bag. The website Fare Compare lists various fees including those for checked bags for many airlines.