In Germany, flight tickets could soon become more expensive again, because the federal government is planning to increase aviation security fees by an impressive 50 percent. In the future, up to 15 euros per passenger will be allowed to be charged. 

It is not the Ministry of Transport that is responsible, but rather the Ministry of the Interior, because at most airports security checks are carried out under the direction of the Federal Police. The regulation currently stipulates that a maximum of ten euros in fees may be charged. A draft resolution, which has already been approved by the Federal Cabinet without discussion, stipulates that the cap will be lifted at 15 euros in the future. In other words: In the future, up to 50 percent more could be charged for each security check carried out. 

The item can be found on the invoices for flight tickets from Germany under the item “Taxes and fees”. The debtor to the state is not the passenger directly, but the airline. However, this only has to be paid if the traveler is actually flown. Otherwise, travelers can request a refund directly from their airline. This is exactly where low-cost airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air try to trick you, because you simply don't break down the flight price and claim that you haven't paid any taxes or fees. This argument has never held up in court in Germany. 

The Federal Ministry of the Interior claims that the fee increase would be necessary to enable official actions to cover costs. This would be required by law and there is no way around it. Industry representatives see it differently and see the move as a completely wrong signal. It is pointed out that Germany already has enormously high “auxiliary costs” and that more and more airlines are using their capacity elsewhere where there is an aviation-friendly political climate. This is not far-fetched, because Germany is lagging far behind - in direct comparison with other EU countries - when it comes to recovery after the corona pandemic. For example, domestic German traffic still accounts for less than half of the transport performance that it had before the crisis. 

The German regulation differs significantly from that in Austria. In the Alpine republic, the costs of security checks must be borne entirely by the airlines, i.e. indirectly by the passengers. Once a year, the price for the coming year is determined based on costs, passenger numbers and forecasts. In Germany these are capped at ten euros and if it costs more, the state has to cover it. This is already the case at 17 German airports. 

On the other hand, extremely cost-effective security companies are deployed at many locations on behalf of the Federal Police. The activities are advertised periodically and awarded to the lowest bidder. As a result, hardly any security company is willing or able to pay more than the legal minimum wage. It is not without reason that there have been repeated strikes that have brought air traffic to a standstill.