U.S. should not charge tourists for their own background check
Posted on Monday, August 16, 2010 at 11:55 AM
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From September 8 anyone who holds a passport from one of the 36 visa-waiver nations will have to pay a $14 fee to enable the American government to run a rudimentary background check on them.
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program was introduced in 2008 and made mandatory last year. The program was intended to provide an extra layer of security. Intending travelers provide their details to the Department of Homeland Security in advance of their travels, which gives the American authorities time to check the intending traveler's name against the 'no fly' lists and other terrorist databases.
I don't have a problem with the requirement that people who want to visit the United States should provide this information to the government. Ideally the government wouldn't need to know anyone's travel plans and wouldn't need to maintain a database of names, passport numbers and other facts, but information is a key element in the defense against a second September 11 type attack. So it has to be this way.
I do think, however, that asking someone to pay $14 to have their background checked by government officials is, well, not all that welcoming. Remember this charge comes on top of recent additional security measures like finger-printing and photographing all visitors.
Whether foreign visitors feel welcome in America may not matter to many Americans, but I'm sure it's crucially important to those who run businesses in the tourism industry. Those foreign visitors are an important segment of their market and all Americans benefit from the wealth generated and jobs created by foreign tourism.
There is, of course, a balance between security and friendliness. Unfortunately, since September 2001 the balance has tilted much more towards security. Rightly so, although like a lot of people I hate all the extra inconvenience that is now part of flying.
The ESTA is just another layer of inconvenience we Americans have added to tourists from Ireland, Britain, France, Norway, Germany, Japan, Italy and others. Now on top of the inconvenience the American government is going to make ESTA a cost as well as an inconvenience. An extra $14 on top of the other government charges added to all international airline tickets: U.S. International Transportation Tax, U.S. Immigration User Fee, U.S. Customs Fee, U.S. Security Service Fee, and the U.S. A.P.H.I.S. User Fee (something to do with agriculture).
The total of all these taxes is about $50 per ticket (and I've omitted local taxes and airport charges) and now tourists are going to be asked to pay another $14. Only this time they're the only ones paying - to check on themselves. {No ESTA required, thus no charge for American citizens.} Even the most pro-American foreign visitors will find this aggravating. Some may well say, "The heck with that," and go somewhere else.
Who'll be the losers then? The tourists, sure, but so will restaurants, hotels and other tourism businesses in America. It's just not worth it. Keep ESTA free.
8 comments
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jacersisityourself | Aug 17, 2010, 04:49 PM EDT
Blame it all on Ryanair for setting the trend! – cheap flight tickets, expensive add-ons. They’ll next charge you for using the loo, and then charge you for queuing for the loo. Bring yr own portaloos? Carry-on charges coming for that! Oh btw! - no carry-on toilet rolls allowed; you’ll hafta buy them on board.
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WoundedKnee | Aug 17, 2010, 02:44 PM EDT
Yank: All that is involved in ESTA is what is already done when the Immigration Officer swipes the person's passport. What other information do they get thru ESTA? It's pretty outrageous to charge for this, especially when the passenger has already paid various US security taxes as add-ons to his ticket. We're going the same route as the UK, where there could be 100 pounds added on to your ticket for "security". It used to be real cheap to fly to Ireland thru London or elsewhere in UK, those bargains no longer exist because while the air tix might be good value, you're going to be hit with the crazy British charges.
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Ajreaper | Aug 17, 2010, 12:13 PM EDT
Agreed Yank- it almost seems like governments and businesses see one group charging a fee and think "well we should to"- we are just getting use to it so few complain. My guess is this trend continues- we'll get nickled and dimed to death, unfortunately. And Yank some airlines are charging a fee for carry on's not just checked bags- that's just wrong no matter how they try to justify it.
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TheYank | Aug 17, 2010, 09:12 AM EDT
Ajreaper,
The airlines' baggage charge is annoying - especially on those long flights as you noted. I have less trouble with it on short flights. I can always get all I need in one small wheelie case or back pack. And, yeah, those "convenience charges" are ridiculous. I paid something like $10 per ticket "convenience charge" when I bought the tickets to see Washington vs Atlanta last month. I actually find it "inconvenient" to pay such fees.
Still, none of that is the same as the government charging you in order for them to pry into your background.
The airlines' baggage charge is annoying - especially on those long flights as you noted. I have less trouble with it on short flights. I can always get all I need in one small wheelie case or back pack. And, yeah, those "convenience charges" are ridiculous. I paid something like $10 per ticket "convenience charge" when I bought the tickets to see Washington vs Atlanta last month. I actually find it "inconvenient" to pay such fees.
Still, none of that is the same as the government charging you in order for them to pry into your background.
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TheYank | Aug 17, 2010, 08:59 AM EDT
WoundedKnee,
I haven't heard any stories such as you relate below, but they don't surprise me. You're not even supposed to need the ESTA document, but my wife always brings hers. Just in case.
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WoundedKnee | Aug 17, 2010, 03:17 AM EDT
Yank doesn't mention what a shambles the ESTA system is. Several non-US travelers who went thru Immigration proudly brandishing their ESTA document have told me that the Immigration agent either appeared not to have heard of ESTA or paid no attention to it. Certainly agents in places like Miami, Houston, Ft Lauderdale seem to have never heard of ESTA.
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Ajreaper | Aug 17, 2010, 12:30 AM EDT
Now a days everyone is jumping on the charge the traveler band wagon- paying for carry on bags for example? Come on you are getting on a plane and flying hundreds or thousands of miles from home- are you to do that with just the clothes on your back? You'd think airlines and governments would want to encourage travel not discourage it. I recently purchased tickets online for an MMA fight, the tickets were $40 plus a $15 convience fee- they chareged extra to buy online and save them the hassle of having operators or ticket sales people- it was convenient for them not just me yet I get nailed with a $15 fee.
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