I’m writing this column while out of the country, away on vacation. On this trip, I’m reminded that through travel (either business or leisure), we’re exposed to how other people live, eat and interact.

Travel is good for our souls and good for helping us understand each other. We should support this however we can. To borrow a song title from The Grateful Dead, travel provides us with Eyes of the World.

Logically, airports are central to supporting travel. Through infrastructure and passenger experiences, they encourage wanderlust and enable our mobile world.

The past few years, we have seen how resilient our travel system really is. It has survived a worldwide pandemic, economic upheavals and military conflicts—and has even managed to continue growing.

International travel, in particular, is a key component that fuels airlines, airports and all the ancillary businesses that contribute to the travel industry. Of late, we’ve been reminded once again that our industry is not immune to changes prompted by governmental policies. Travel to the U.S. from certain countries has already ebbed this year as international travelers are choosing to take their vacations elsewhere.

The new “visa integrity fee” that is a part of the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill    won’t help the U.S. compete for international travel—even if travelers who comply with all visa conditions can subsequently apply for reimbursement. This additional charge, starting at $250 later this year, will impact student, business and leisure travelers from India, China and other countries that currently account for a high volume of travel to the U.S. And I’ve heard no talk about earmarking the money collected from this new travel fee for distribution to airports for infrastructure improvements.

Now is a time to encourage travel, not stifle it. Through our collective voice as an industry, let’s work together to question
the value of additional charges like the visa integrity fee.

Cheers!