Nicholas Calio, the president and CEO of Airlines for America, says the government should relax the tax and regulatory burden on U.S. airlines. "Quite simply, commercial aviation, while supposedly deregulated, is now among the most highly regulated industries in America," Calio said. He pointed to 17 federal taxes and fees levied on commercial airlines as an example of excessive regulation, further noting the airlines "need a rationalized, more normalized business environment" to prosper in the long term.