Kenai airport eyes automated fee system amid pilot privacy backlash

The Kenai Airport Commission is weighing a contract that would use federally-mandated aircraft surveillance data to automatically bill landing fees — exactly the use that a federal bill co-sponsored by Senator Dan Sullivan would prohibit.

Airport staff want to contract with Vector Airport Systems to track aircraft over 4,000 pounds using ADS-B data, in exchange for a 12 percent commission and a projected 99.6 percent collection rate. The airport lost more than $140,000 in uncollected transient landing fees last year.

The conflict is structural. ADS-B is a federal safety mandate; pilots installed the equipment to comply with FAA airspace rules, not as a billing tool. A national pilot effort has spent the spring lobbying Congress to keep it that way — including an April petition specifically naming Vector.

That effort has now passed the House. In April 2026, the chamber passed Rep. Bob Onder's Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act as part of H.R. 7613, the Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency (ALERT) Act of 2026. The bill text states that data from ADS-B "may not be used by any person, governmental agency, or other entity to identify aircraft for the purpose of obtaining revenue from the owner or operator of such aircraft without the consent of such owner or operator." The Senate companion, S. 2175, was referred to the Commerce Committee on June 25, 2025, with Senator Sullivan as one of two original co-sponsors alongside Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana, and Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina as lead sponsor.

If the legislation becomes law, it voids the mechanism Kenai is about to adopt. Airport manager Mary said Vector has indicated it could pivot to camera-based aircraft identification if ADS-B restrictions are enacted, though the technology would be more expensive. Commissioners also discussed QR-code parking payments like those used at Merrill Field in Anchorage.

The Kenai City Council is scheduled to vote on the contract June 17, with implementation set for July 1.