PELEE ISLAND UPDATES
Please read below to learn how the U.S. government imposed fees could affect your island travel, the Griffing Business, and how you can help.
TO OUR PELEE ISLAND TRAVELERS
We have become aware of a new federal rule amending the user fee regulations associated with the agricultural quarantine and
inspection (AQI) program. This final rule has gone into effect and would, as of June 2, 2025, eliminate a long-standing exemption
to the commercial aircraft user fee for small commercial passenger aircraft. The change would have an unsustainable effect on
our pricing structure, immediately increasing one-way fares from $87.50 to $368.89 (over 400% increase). We want to do
everything in our power to prevent that, and we need your help. By reaching out to your federal representative’s offices,
commenting on the Federal Registrar, or simply providing any other information or support;
You can help us navigate this change.
The AQI program is an arm of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the federal government. The Food,
Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade (FACT) Act of 1990 authorizes APHIS to collect user fees for the AQI program. Since its
inception, the AQI user fee structure has included an exemption for small commercial passenger aircraft. This exemption
originally covered aircraft under 35 passengers, and later was changed to under 64 passengers.
AQI user fees are collected per arrival as well as per passenger, and only the per arrival fee is exempted. The per passenger fee is
currently $3.71, which is very reasonable and has been part of the Pelee fares since the early 1990s. The per arrival fee is currently
$281.39 and is scheduled to increase each October, this fee will be collected, regardless of passenger load, for every landing in the
US from a foreign country. On a large commercial aircraft, this fee is shared among hundreds of passengers and has a minimal
impact on prices. For us, as you well know, this fee would be shared among as little as 1 passenger, and typically only 3 or 4
passengers.
We feel that the long-standing exemption should remain in effect. We can only speak to our own operation, but the risk of
contamination is minimal and the impact of this fee would be catastrophic to our small business. Below are some talking points
you can use to form your thoughts and comments:
-We operate in localized geographical/environmental areas. Our small aircraft are not
capable of traveling the longer distances that introduce risks of distinctly different areas
mixing.
– We complete as many as 27 round-trip flights across 3-4 aircraft, along the same route,
from Ohio to Canada on our busiest days, resulting in potential financial impacts of $7,597.53
per day.
– We do not carry cargo, only passengers and their personal belongings, minimizing
the risk of hitchhiking pests on our flights.
– Potentially the exemption could be adjusted to include:
– flights within a certain distance range of the US
– flights with even less passengers, 9 or less would
align with some FAA regulations
– flights carrying passengers only and no cargo
Please feel free to reach out to our office for more information. Thank you for your support, we are optimistic that we can find a way through this challenge. Please visit the link below to review the posting guidelines, and comment on the final rule.