Which statement about airport badge fees is accurate?

• A. Fees are charged to generate profit.
• B. Fees cover only maintenance costs.
• C. Fees are waived for all government employees.
• D. Fees are levied only to cover operational costs of making the badge.

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is cost-recovery for issuing and maintaining security badges. The fees are set to cover the operational work involved in creating and managing the credential—things like background checks, photo capture, badge production, updating access permissions in the security system, and ongoing maintenance and renewal. This isn’t about turning a profit, and it’s not only about maintenance tasks, since the process includes several essential steps beyond mere upkeep. Blanket waivers for all government employees aren’t standard practice, so that option isn’t accurate either. So, the statement that fees are levied only to cover the operational costs of making the badge best reflects how these fees are intended to work.