The US is able to charge air traffic fees to flights that neither take off, nor land, nor even cross over, American territory because it controls the airspace over a massive portion of the Pacific Ocean. The US charges overflight fees of US$26 per 100 nautical miles, which means a flight from Japan to New Zealand, flying nowhere near America, is required to pay a fee for US help.According to their website, the FAA handled 15 million flights in 2016. If just half those flights journeyed through 100 nautical miles of US airspace, the fees would amass to US$195 million.