EDITORIAL
Airport departure fee justifiable, except ...

The state Department of Transportation makes a highly rational case in support of its plan to implement a $4.50-per-person airport departure fee: Mainly, the state's airports need the money.

The funds reserved for airport use are tapped thin because of the extraordinary demands of post-Sept. 11 security requirements.

The departure fee, which is expected to generate up to $18 million a year, is not a cash-strapped state's inspired invention. It's authorized by the feds and already in use at some Mainland airports, such as Los Angeles and Chicago.

Perhaps the most appealing feature for Hawai'i residents is that passengers on Neighbor Island flights would not be assessed a departure fee.

With all that said, however, we still have a couple of reservations:

• Whenever a state operation runs short of funds, why is it that its officials always look to increase the amount of money it has to spend, rather than reducing what it does in order to live within its means? Sure, we need the added security at the airports. Now, what is it the DOT does that we can do without?
• Is a $4.50 departure fee an appropriate way to say "aloha" to our visitors when they leave?