Airlines for America is calling on Congress to return $13 billion in Transportation Security Administration fees that have been diverted to help reduce the deficit instead of used for airport security.

A4A CEO Nick Calio made the request in a letter to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), noting the money was diverted as part of a bipartisan budget agreement adopted in 2013.

"That decision has come home to roost," Calio said. "If Congress wanted to take constructive and well-justified action, it would immediately pass legislation putting that money, paid by airline passengers, where it belongs."

The association said TSA's aviation security budget grew 7 percent from 2006 to 2015, yet the number of passengers screened has declined 5 percent during the same time period, suggesting resources are not currently allocated where needed.

The letter came a little more than a week after A4A launched #iHateTheWait, a social media campaign in which travelers are encouraged to snap and share pictures of themselves waiting in line at airport security checkpoints. http://bit.ly/1sFSZHE

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