It was mostly paid for by airlines and airports directly, and being decentralized it’s tough to tell, but estimates put it in the hundreds of millions range. Adjusted for inflation, it probably didn’t crack a single billion; so a 1-digit percentage of what it costs travelers and taxpayers today.
Presumably airport security cost something (whether funded by fares or taxes) before the TSA - do we know how it compares?
It was mostly paid for by airlines and airports directly, and being decentralized it’s tough to tell, but estimates put it in the hundreds of millions range. Adjusted for inflation, it probably didn’t crack a single billion; so a 1-digit percentage of what it costs travelers and taxpayers today.