Airports and airlines fight over who gets to lighten your wallet the most

The authorities that run America's airports don't think you've been nickeled and dimed enough. They're lobbying Congress to hike the "passenger facility charge" from the current $4.50 to $7.50, levied each time you take off from an airport, not per trip. That's a jump of two-thirds.

An increase to $7, tucked into a measure set to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, is making its way through the House. The Senate has voted in the past to freeze the amount where it is, but we all know politicians. The caprices of either side can shift as quickly as the windsocks on the runways.

A rep for the American Association of Airport Executives (side note: never take money advice from a group with the word "Executives" in its name) told USA Today that the airports just want your money to "keep up with inflation," claiming purchasing power for the fee has decreased by 50% in nine years.