By: Jennifer C Rykaczewski Executive Director, Affordable Skies Nothing in air travel is truly free, but knowing how airfare works gives you the freedom to choose how you want to fly. We’ve been receiving a number of thoughtful questions from travelers lately, and one of them stood out because it reflects something many people are genuinely curious about. A traveler recently asked, “When I pay seven or eight hundred dollars for a round trip ticket, and my soda is ‘free,’ how

WASHINGTON, November 6, 2025 – Today, a broad coalition of aviation stakeholders released the statement below calling on Congress to end the shutdown: “The aviation community stands united in calling on Congress to end the shutdown without delay. This prolonged shutdown has strained the aviation system and its dedicated workforce to unacceptable levels of stress and disruption.

A unified aviation community writes to respectfully urge you to take immediate action to avoid a government shutdown on October 1.