The FAA saw my vid and stepped in! Vegas FORMULA 1 Landing Fee Update & REVEALING data exposed

The FAA is getting involved with the OUTRAGEOUS Las Vegas landing Fees during the Formula 1 event. In this video, I recap the situation, and give you the latest UPDATES, along with REVEALING some data I found about Vegas airport operations.
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Portions of ATC communication and the flight have been edited. This video is not instructional in any way. I am not a CFI. I am sharing my experience and thoughts about this flight and this should be taken as entertainment only. By sharing mistakes and accomplishments alike, hopefully the aviation community will benefit. Clark County Dept of Aviation did not respond to my request for clarification and comment.

[@keithmaxon9510]

Love the comparison to raising prices for parks and roads in peak times. Airports are public utilities. Period.

[@qwerty112311]

You are aware that many government owned utilities or just governments in general charge different prices based on demand and/or time of day, right? 🤡🤡🤡

[@SkylaneGuy]

@@qwerty112311 Please cite some examples where the price for a federally funded service goes from $0 to $3000 based on demand or time of day.

[@neilkurzman4907]

@@qwerty112311 So you believe public utilities should charge a Christmas state surcharge? A Thanksgiving day surcharge? How about a blizzard surcharge? You get a discount at night because electricity is worth less at night. And if they can move some of your day use tonight, then it reduces the legal required baseload they have to keep.

[@ThePwig]

It's similar to people who think public utilities should be run like a business, for profit. Public services aren't for profit. Should the fire department or police department be generating income and profit? No. Neither should other public utilities.

[@jamesh7876]

Be careful with your wording; not all airports are public. If you’re landing at a private airport you better be paying whatever was agreed upon or not lane there.

[@lancechisum1529]

Awesome work. Thanks for all you’re doing for the flying community.

[@danielreuter2565]

Abusive pricing practices are toxic and contagious. Thanks for helping keep them honest Eric.

[@banzaiib]

but you also cannot ignore supply and demand... do you want gasoline during a tropical storm? If they allow price gouging, it's more available. if they don't the gas stations run out, and that doesn't help anyone, either. It's not just as simple as "it's toxic and contagious". There's a balance that's reasonable... and that's even written into the language in the FAA rules in this case.

[@AndreySloan_is_a_cnut]

@@banzaiib- First come, first served is the basic principle of aviation resource allocation when it comes to airport and air traffic resource allocation.

[@danielreuter2565]

@@banzaiib I suppose you're ok with the power companies charging 100x the normal rate on the hottest days of the year, the natural gas companies charging 100x on the coldest, and the water company charging 10,000x when your house is on fire just because demand is higher and you don't have any alternatives?

[@johnfetter]

@@banzaiib Sounds like you agree with Biden money launder scheme too the demand was for him to acquire all the homes he has now but couldn't pay for with his normal salary.

[@banzaiib]

@@danielreuter2565 I said there's a balance that is reasonable. Hyperbolic statements in either direction are wrong. I am ok with power costing more when the demand is higher. Also in favor of being able to lock in rates so you don't have to worry about that, which is exactly what I do with my gas company.

[@jrod_pilot_miami]

This sounds to me like the start of a new series on all things aviation that are exorbitantly priced with little to no control by the FAA. I've got a few story ideas like DPE fees, Part 141 training, aircraft owner's insurance, AvGas price variences, and the list can go on and on.

[@MrSkins45]

I religiously refuse to comment on YT videos, but I have to make an exception here. As someone who makes a decent living, it's ludicrous to me that aviation has become a "rich man's game" over the last 30+ years. Your work on this gives me a glimmer of hope that perhaps, one day, a normal person/family can enjoy the immense joy of general aviation without feeling the monetary pinch. You have a lifetime follower/subscriber here....

[@MrSkins45]

Took it a small step further. New patreon member incoming! Keep up the effort!

[@MacGyverGTP]

I just did the same over this video! @@MrSkins45

[@MacGyverGTP]

Amazing the change one man can do! Impressive work my friend, thank you for doing this so the rest of us benefit in the long run. Great step in the right direction!

[@speedbird7976]

Yes but also all his followers and viewers helped if his channel had 0 views he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere.

[@scottyyyyyyyy]

Interesting comparison on the Sphere opening. That could be a situation where you have to plan for the worst (increased traffic) and in this case looks like people were either discouraged due to fee or not interested as they had thought.

[@okiegrandboater]

He didn’t do anything AOPA was all over this before he posted his video

[@redfoxtactical8425]

For someone like me who makes pretty good money, and aspires to fly, but can't afford it at the moment, hearing things like $3,000 dollar fees is insane. Every time I hear things like this and see how much GA prices have shot up even in the last few years it really is a kick in the stomach to that dream of ever actually flying.

[@miscellaneousstuff9031]

The thing that got me into flying was understanding three things. 1 - the cost for PPL (forums + local clubs) 2 - The cost of planes/maintenance (barnstormers + Complete Walkaround on YT) 3 - Realizing the reason I want a plane was to stay away from major airports (less stress, less fees, etc.)

[@lucysmith4242]

It'll just be like anything and any respected profession/hobby in the future. Only the elite will have it and the working class can be happy with just a little less than the previous year until we have nothing and we're happy about it

[@joshp3994]

@@lucysmith4242 Agreed. From dreams of home ownership to new cars/"things" a growing number of the working class every year are priced out.

[@MrStunnd]

This whole thing is typical of Vegas. It seems as though Clark County Department of Aviation have learnt a few things from the local casinos who have taken to setting up their convenience stores on property with no prices on anything for sale, so as to be able to be able to jack the prices up considerably when demand is higher, without having to relabel everything. This is also a common theme amongst casino properties in regards to their parking garages. These properties will regularly add a sign at the garage entry noting "special event fees" simply when they know it may be a busier weekend. The fact the DOA did not implement landing/parking charges based off MTOW or MLW of aircraft just goes to show they are hoping to ostracize the small GA aircraft who take up space but don't spend much at the airport, in terms of fuel etc. They want the GV's, Globals and Falcons who won't even blink at paying $3,000 when the plane is worth $70 million and they spend nother 5-10k on Jet-A

[@MagicalAscension]

There's a point at which supply and demand stops being the normal function of the economic system, and starts being ' here's an opportunity for me to jack my prices up beyond belief because the buyers have no choice.' ... Fuel prices, anyone? People may say that's just supply and demand, to me it looks more like rampant greed.

[@getpermbanned2692]

fuel prices are stupid there with almost 10$ a gallon for 100LL

[@eclipso104]

​@@getpermbanned2692 This is why it's best to fly a plane that can burn auto fuel. I burn 4 gallons an hour at 100kts with a 100 hp Rotax.

[@f3rny_66]

there is a difference between supply and demand & rent seeking

[@whitesquirrel4131]

the powers that be can ramp up production at any time, they have gone out of their way to make production difficult, but ultimately, they know full well prices would have to go down again greedy fuckers never let go

[@mishkamcivor409]

"the normal function of the economic system" is "here's an opportunity for me to jack my prices", it sucks but the way the economy is prices will be as high as they can be

[@airlammie]

This video is so freaking good. You had a past life as a forensic accountant if you don’t like creating content anymore. If the FAA or these airports didn’t take your previous video seriously enough because it was more anecdotal and heresay - you really backed it all up with data in this one. Very well done 👏👏

[@stewie84]

Absolutely… just start digging up example after example of the differences in air traffic. I hope they change their tune or maybe some other alphabet soup agencies will become interested 👀… I know they’ve got analysts who can run reports on all these numbers. Taking money from the government should not be taken lightly… and some consequences here would be very instructive to other airports thinking they want $30M for improvements.

[@MidnightWyvern]

You know, for once it's nice to see crap like this not fly under the radar, and people actually get held accountable for it. REALLY hard not to feel like the $3000 was a deliberate attempt to price GA out of the event to make more space for the private jet crowd.

[@0111001010100]

Glad to hear the FAA/ AOPA is doing something. Considering the crash in F1 ticket prices and hotel rates due to less than anticipated demand I think the data will show that these airports were out of bounds for demanding exorbitant fees. Sadly as a fellow pilot the FAA allowing the $750 fee to stand is still a very bad precedent and I worry these airports will have more and more of these types of charges. The words class action lawsuit keeps ringing in my head.... I loved your comparison to national parks. If Yosemite had premium charge similar to this landing fee of (750/20 = 37.5 times higher rate, Yosemite entry $35*37.5 = $1312.50 ) in may/ June for waterfall viewing there would be public outrage.

[@coreysmith9314]

Great job exposing this problem, thanks SCFM

[@zachchipman7980]

I’m so glad you’re talking about this. Someone is lining their pockets in ways that the FAA should not allow. I’m seeing these special event fees becoming more and more of an issue.

[@randyharbaugh7819]

Thanks for the follow up report and the research you did into whether or not to extra fees were justified. Other media is reporting that this may not be the size of an event that was projected a year ago when planning started.

[@allenw1188]

Good job. You also have to remember that more traffic equals more fuel sales,parking and other services for the FBOs. Thanks for all your doing and thanks to the FAA for getting involved.

[@davewilliams639]

Eric, As usual, you do an outstanding job on your videos. Thanks for keeping us informed on this matter!

[@Cballa730]

Amazing work, Eric. You were actually one of the people who inspired me to get my PPL, and buy into a small plane to enjoy with my family. Your passion towards aviation is now inspiring me to become a better community member too! Keep up the great work.

[@CarliandRobertTejeiro]

I think we can all agree that this helps the GA community become stronger and I thank you for that! Strong work!

[@timmholzhauer3342]

I sent an email to AOPA as soon as I heard of the 3000USD. Happy to see that they got published a video about this. You are absolutely right with your take on this! Couldn’t agree more!!! Those who think it’s ok as it’s just a question of demand and just go on another weekend don’t get it! Drives me nuts! Thanks for your videos!!!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@Jimmer-Space88]

It’s amazing this video sparked the correct action, but it’s hard for me to ever give AOPA any credit. letters to them have a pattern of being swept somewhere until something gets too far ahead and then they jump into action - too late. There’s also a growing movement across the country with landing fees that are automatically assigned to aircraft based on ADS - B data collected on a commission basis by a company called Vector. These airports have positive operating income and are charging fees as well not to mention taking government grants. AOPA has been advised, and has NO CAMPAIGN whatsoever to question the validity or present any restrictive measures to the FAA.

[@timmholzhauer3342]

@@Jimmer-Space88 From what I noticed AOPA is taking note of outrageous fees, indeed but not fees in general. I got a response two days after my eMail. My opinion is that reasonable fees are absolutely ok, as long as they remain exactly this - reasonable. I’m based in Germany, so I’m used to landing fees over here on Europe at pretty much every airfield. And I’m ok with that. Why should the tax payer money pay for our hobby? They pay anyway because those fees are by no means enough to keep a small airfield in the black but don’t tell everyone! ;)) Those fees in Vegas and other places need to be addressed immediately. That’s crazy!! And there’s people out there which are ok with that. How stupid are they???

[@tomiasthexder7673]

AOPA probably get a kick back from the airport to pay their CEO his millions in salary….

[@jrulison]

The reduction in fees might also have to do with the low turn out for the F1 race in general. Hotels, tickets, and everything is now selling way below their prices just 2 weeks ago.

[@Victordamus98]

It was outrageous the amount hotels and everywhere else was charging. Smh

[@LokiDWolf]

That's very interesting. Because F1 usually has money follow it wherever they go. Very interesting indeed!

[@thebigmon]

@@LokiDWolf Disrupting people’s gambling addiction just to accommodate a silly car race is sacrilege.

[@boogerwood]

Nah... it was a KZbin video. 😉

[@thomasgreen1688]

The reduction happened because they got caught violating the FAA grant rules.

[@davidendsley2391]

I live in Las Vegas, and you are right it’s totally wrong. A friend of mine said that there is no parking available for medium sized business jets so his pilot is dropping him and his buddies off and flying down to Phoenix to park for the weekend. Plus they still have to pay the landing fees. No where else in the world has he not been able to park his jet for the event he was attending. He also said he’s never coming back to Las Vegas for an F1 race until it changes.

[@jerseyshoredroneservices225]

I can understand if an airport just isn't big enough to park a lot of extra planes. what I cannot understand is a ridiculous landing fee. If they receive a lot more arrivals they will collect a lot more standard landing fees. That additional revenue should be enough to cover whatever additional expenses they incur to land those planes. I've read that formula 1 has taken measures to obstruct the view of the race from locals who live nearby or are staying in hotels. Apparently from what I read it cost $1,500 per person to have the obstruction removed. Have you heard anything about that? If that's true I'm starting to wonder if the local government has conspired with Formula 1 to charge those fees.

[@davidendsley2391]

@@jerseyshoredroneservices225 I’m not sure about the fee to remove any obstructions because most that I know are big enough that removing them would not be something that from a engineering standpoint would be safe. I do know the race course doesn’t go near any private homes and the whole course has safety barriers all around. The strip will be closed to foot traffic and all the over-road pedestrian bridges are going to be closed or they have high walls installed so you can’t see from them. The hotels that have rooms that face the strip or look over the race course are three times the regular room rates and some have even been closed off or not being rented out for the weekend. The saddest thing of this whole thing is that if you have ever been to Las Vegas on the world famous strip it was lined with big mature palm trees down the middle of the strip and on the sides of the strip, well they cut them all down, the question I like to know is who is going to replace them and how much is that going to cost. In my opinion they have destroyed the beautiful strip to put on a race that in all likelihood will not be back because they are not going to make the money some idiots inVisioned like in the 70s when they tried it the first time. All I know is I won’t be moving any aircraft on that weekend I’ll just drive instead of flying, I usually fly up to Kanab Utah but to avoid a $750. Landing fee for a Cessna 170 when I get back that’s not happening. Bottom line is F1 will go down in history as a total failure in Las Vegas because Las Vegas has turned their back on the tourist that make Las Vegas. There are more tourists here for fun and not the race that are being driven away because of it. Edit: they didn’t cut all the palm trees down, only the ones that obstructed the Television Cameras for the race and the one that were in front of where the spectator stands will be which is still a lot

[@jerseyshoredroneservices225]

@@davidendsley2391 Thanks for the local report. if they really wanted to have a race there I think it could have been done a lot better considering all the experience they have with things like this. Now on top of everything else the track is "falling apart" SMH 😞 Impressive levels of greed and incompetence are turning this into a spectacle rather than spectacular event 😞

[@davidendsley2391]

Totally agree, this is something that should have been planned for years before not just one year before and I agree that someone’s greed keeps them from seeing all the pitfalls of a project this size and the impact it is going to have on the normal tourist experience that didn’t come to see a race, also the long term impact on the strip itself and employment that has been impacted. Some employees have been furloughed until after the race but their job won’t be ready for some time after until they can take down everything that was built. (See the work done to the Venetian Hotel and the gondola rides)

[@bthomas8156]

You keep fighting for us GA Pilots Eric. I feel the same way about state toll fees to ride on a freeway and how they raise the prices ever couple of years. You got me inspired now.

[@dennisnbrown]

Great job Eric once again. Much appreciated by all of us little guys for you using your platform and your voice to bring attention to this ludicrous trend by greedy airport operations that is going to kill our hobby that we love so much. I hope the FAA sees your data and put a stop to this madness. It is only going to spread any in today’s world. Things happen so fast that they can’t be reversed so thanks again.

[@kkrb1212]

This was awesome. Thank you. I adore aviation but I have adhd and likely could never get a license and don’t have anyone else who flies so I just consume content on KZbin. I love it so much.

[@Whoiam146]

For those saying supply and demand, I hope you are also willing to pay $1000 for highway toll during rush hours, or you can just skip those rush hours😉 Or willing to pay $1000 parking fees when you shop at a grocery store during rush hours 🥴

[@vipecrx]

Great work! Gotta love that the faa actually did something positive instead of punishing you for some random shit.

[@nickwinn]

You rock! More public airports should be made to be transparent with their fees. I suspect corruption / laziness will be the answer to why these fees are so high. I wouldn't be surprised if the airport manager has hired expensive contractors who then kick back some of those profits back to the manager.

[@Jimmer-Space88]

Think about this, though, at most tier one airports, it would not be unusual, if away for five days to have a parking bill that’s the equivalent, or greater than the actual cost of the flight. Apparently managing an airport can be lucrative.

[@MXP90DL]

Agree and this has to stop now. This will spread into everything if it's not stopped. Soon if this gets a foot hold it will impact everyone that wants to go to events like this. Even if only going on a motorcycle or car. They could try and charge $450.oo per car to park for a day or more. Maybe charge a bit less for a motorcycle mainly because I am not sure how well it would go trying to collect that fee from a HellsAngle. 😮

[@hefeibao]

Yeah fs. Someone is making bank, and it's not the public.

[@professorwizard4143]

@@MXP90DL:: They already now charge Upwards of $25 to park everywhere now... and More for special events.

[@ibgarrett]

Excellent video on the landing fees. My money is that you’re not going to hear back from the airports because they’ve been caught.

[@triboarder06]

Great video! There is no question that this needs to be addressed, fees shouldn't every really have to change that much at these airports. I just wish we had the level of GA support in Canada as you do south of the boarder. It's getting worse and worse up there for landing fees and tie-down fees, airports closing, lack of runway improvements etc etc etc.... Really sad!

[@KevinW8BRY]

Great work Eric! Thanks for making the previous video and getting results. The data doesn’t lie. The increased cost is not justified.

[@MikeKobb]

How refreshing to have a story that starts, "The FAA saw my KZbin video" and doesn't end with a FSDO inspector! 🙂

[@josephpadula2283]

I am a popular pilot ! Ever time time I fly, the tower calls me to give me their phone number to write down …..

[@psupilot]

Well done! Keep up the great work.

[@stewie84]

One man taking down Vegas airport shakedown artists… great work, man!! I completely agree this is super important! Like you said, it a public utility SUBSIDIZED BY ALL OF US!!

[@AllenPortman]

I have just started back flying so I appreciate your focus on this matter!

[@magicsoundify]

Great work pulling data from the OPSENT database. Really appreciate that you mention the valuable and stressful work ground ops do, but also pointed out (WITH DATA) that this sounds more like a money-making opportunity. Love your vids and ethos

[@tanithrosenbaum]

Excellent research and presentation. Thank you! One thing I really don't get when companies claim they have to charge higher prices due to "increased demand": If demand increases, they already have more income simply due to the higher number of aircraft. I understand that at some point you hit a wall in linear scaling, which is when you have to upgrade to (more expensive) services due to resources (like parking space or frequency capacity) being depleted, but still, for the most part, they should have _lower_ expenses due to economy of scale, at least until one of those resource capacity bumps is hit.

[@FlyingwithBigErn]

Great video exposing this crucial issue. Keep the good work up👍🏽

[@OriginalBrett610]

Thank you for this follow up. Explaining why they shouldn’t be charging higher fees was really important. Many aren’t familiar that free market supply & demand should not apply to public utilities. It leads to situations like this or the Texas energy crisis.

[@chrispankey807]

Great work man, good for you.

[@Brian-cj4bj]

Good job!! Keep the pressure on. :D

[@JB_Hobbies]

Too often people have the attitude that aviation is expensive, so pilots shouldn’t mind paying one more dollar and another and another until our wallets are bone dry. Vegas, unsurprisingly, took that attitude to the very extreme, which just shows how insidious that kind of thinking is.

[@boogerwood]

Too often? You mean always? The same exact technology in aviation costs 5-10x more than non aviation application. Price gouging of pilots has always been a thing and always will be.

[@mrun159]

Excellent work! Way to make a difference and reach a reasonable compromise.

[@lukegroom5181]

Thanks so much for making the points you made about supply and demand.

[@MaxSterling01]

Flew into HND for Thanksgiving weekend, landing fees were what they usually are for a single engine plane with a night waved for fuel. But they were requiring reservations for Sunday due to a football game.

[@lawman5511]

Last time I was at HND, the fee for a single piston was $10. Waived with fuel purchase, even self serve.

[@Sjapilot]

Well done video sir! Keep up the excellent work!

[@MichaelWatsonGod]

great Job on this one!

[@agegonzo39]

This hits the nail on the head. As a Vegas native who still works in the industry i can confirm that if people don't step up and put a stop to ridiculous price gouging there will be no stop to it

[@CarlMims]

Great work and analysis. So glad this got some action and hope it continues.

[@mikecournoyer]

Great job and awesome video. Stats do not lie. This is crazy and you are correct. If they are allowed to do this without being checked, what stops other airports from doing the same for any popular event around the country.

[@richardc6843]

You make some very, well reasoned, and thoughtful points. Thanks for making your videos.

[@TIO540S1]

With respect to the sphere opening, it's quite plausible that, when the fees were set and ops planning was done, they legitimately expected a huge influx that ultimately did not occur. I've seen analogous examples wherein huge crowds are expected, planned for, and failed to materialize. In fact, from rumors I've heard, the Las Vegas Formula 1 event may be falling into this category.

[@HenryLoenwind]

But does a higher number of planes really matter? Remember that every plane still has to pay, so the total money they get goes up automatically when they get more planes. It makes more sense to ask for more money per plane on *slow* days---when their total cost stays the same but they have less income from fewer planes.

[@jerseyshoredroneservices225]

They normally charge a landing fee at that airport, right? If they receive a lot more planes they will collect a lot more of those normal fees, which should be plenty to cover whatever additional services they need to provide.

[@hb1338]

@@HenryLoenwind That strategy makes sense only if the higher prices do not drive away too many potential customers - I wonder if anyone analysed the relevant price elasticity of demand and/or the yield calculations.

[@davidendsley2391]

As a Las Vegas resident I can confirm that the prices were pretty high, $200. To park and up to $500. For tickets. If you have ever been to an IMAX theater this is it but three times bigger, not something I would recommend when you can go to the IMAX at Caesars Palace for a tenth of the that price or the Palms Theater. But at even the price of $184. (Cheapest I know of) for a movie, not in this lifetime. But I guess if you can pay $3,000 to just land your plane you can afford $800 dollars too go see a movie. And that landing fee is just that only you still have overnight parking fee plus fuel cost if needed.

[@-108-]

So they should have refunded the money instead of unfairly hording it and failing transparency.

[@irishcurse65]

Great Work!!

[@tylertorres5387]

Love this! You exposed them! It’s not supply and demand or an increase of of air traffic. ITS GREED!!!

[@detskysade2581]

Great video and a lot of good reasoning. I really hope that this doesn't go unnoticed.

[@thomrieck]

Thanks for looking into this Eric - as a newly-minted private pilot I too was worried about the future. It hold true - one person can make a difference :)

[@mikegreene4152]

Well-said, and exactly on-point ! Thank you for speaking out and doing the work on this.

[@mattchick8337]

Love that you can access data, and provide facts based off data. Too many people in the world can’t backup their reasons. 13% reduction? Hard to argue with facts and data. Pure greed! Love your content, keep up the great work.

[@vidpie]

The fees might have contributed to the 13% reduction.

[@chrisc161]

Right on buddy. Thank you for doing this.

[@joeschmoe1301]

Outstanding analogy with public parks and airfields. Good clear thinking!!

[@chrisbeber9177]

I work for an FBO in Dallas. City of Dallas charges a landing fee depending on the weight of the aircraft and the FBO’s charge a ramp fee. The weekend of the World Series I Flew my Cherokee 140 in and it cost me a total of $28.61 and I didn’t get fuel.

[@johnxreid]

The YoY comparison on traffic the day of the Sphere event isn't apple-to-apples since the $500 fee was in place for the 2023 date--it also had an effect on the demand which further skews the comparison. But, your data does show that the fee was set too high at the very least and it's plausible that no fee may have been needed. 100% agree that these facilities shouldn't be just looking at what others have gotten away with in the past in setting their fees. Another great video.

[@johnpringle6150]

Great Job Eric… you have a future as a investigative journalist if the camera gigs get boring

[@DtEarth1]

Nice work. I remember my father always complaining about fees when I was a kid and his Cessna

[@AnonyMous-jf4lc]

Outstanding job! Thank you for being an active advocate for general aviation!

[@CherokeeFlyr]

Thank you for doing the research on this. From the beginning, this fee smacked of corruption. Since no one from Clark County has the courage to respond, it proves that there is no reason for such an outrageous fee but pure greed. We want our federal grant money back.

[@neudorfer2sebastian]

Great work! Very appreciated! You are doing all of us a favor - not only in the US! Well done Sir!

[@Ghostcustom24]

Eric, really appreciate what your doing. Please consider highlighting how false their arguments are about increased usage when compared to SunNFun or Oskkosh, countless other examples where airports handle MUCH more traffic than this event will draw, and don’t charge such outrageous fees. Very clearly gouging private aviation of ALL aircraft types and means.

[@TeachAManToAngle]

Thank you for your continued efforts on this subject.

[@jong.4949]

You Sir should become the new leader of AOPA ! Or start your own organization. I think you really get it and are not afraid to call out all the funny business going on in the GA world. Well done..

[@flynomo]

Hey Eric.....Thanks for not just whining but actually getting something done. We need you in Washington.

[@jimgandee2570]

Thanks for doing a great job uncovering a gouging operation!

[@donady341]

Nice job and follow up. Thx for youtpr efforts.

[@mattguldjord1357]

Great work getting the word out.

[@TheGoatMumbler]

Busted!!! Good work man!

[@conorprovan9435]

Dude! Nailed 'em. Nice work.

[@nschares]

Hahaha. Oh man. CLASSIC. Using real data to make decisions instead making shit up. I bet they're gonna love this one. You are awesome. Thanks buddy.

[@martinanidjar]

I am an economist and I would characterize this issue in the framework of the consolidation of FBOs in 2-3 big companies, which makes collusion more likely. Additionally, because in each airport there is at best 2 FBOs, there is not enough room for competition. I am usually a super 'supply-demand' kind of guy, but when there is no room for competition, unfortunately there is a need for some regulation to limit abuse. The consolidation of FBOs is one issue, and the other is the natural inevitable limitation that on each field there usually is 1 or 2 FBOs at most. You could argue that in the US there is almost always a choice of airports, as in this case, 30 miles away. But the conceptually speaking it is not the same as intra field competition. If Henderson had 6 FBOs (I know, impractical), then there would always be the incentive for 1 or 2 of them to undercut prices, and competition leads to lower prices overall. Aviation has a few natural barriers to the competition we would like, and then, the FBO consolidation trend is yet another force against competition setting prices.

[@michaelfisher2574]

Great Work. I bet Grand Prix weekend will be low too.

[@joanieswanson570]

BRAVO! These fees are outrageous and I live in Las Vegas. Thank you.

[@DivorceLawyer9278]

Sure looks like you discovered evidence of price gouging by private companies having special access to a public resource. The fact that the local airport authority did not respond to your information request and defended the FBO's actions to the FAA sure looks like a conflict of interest or dare I say corruption. Congressional Reps are: Dina Titus (Las Vegas), Mark Amodei (Carson City) Republican, Susie Lee (Las Vegas).

[@sledawgpilot]

My company spent $3000 to land at Henderson. ATC (LA Center) gave us a 6 HOUR GROUND STOP supposedly for high traffic volume however there was very little going in on FlightAware, ForeFlight. The FBO said they were actually a bit slow. The boss and family missed the opening ceremony that they were invited to by a sponsor for no reason at all.

[@timothycheuvront8284]

Thanks for digging into this issue. Hopefully this will result in positive changes.

[@markburton8680]

Personal, corporate, and business greed in America has gone off the deep end, people no longer have scruples. This is attributed to failed education failed government and poor parenting.

[@jimjernigan3670]

Thanks for your work here!

[@richa554]

Ok I made a smart ass comment comment on your last video. But damn man you did a good job here keep up the good work!

[@FlyersDistrict]

I'm never going to be unhappy at the $35 landing fee at the Key West and Marathon Key airports again :) - Great video

[@davidmangold1838]

Problem is, many airports gave ramp space and fuel concessions to fbo’s to manage and handle. They obviously pay less fees to the airport. The biggest FBO’s, Atlantic and Signature, etc. charge exhorbitant fees, with the airport authority not putting caps on their fees. AND, I imagine the county doesn’t get any of the monies that the FBO’s charge and collect. Plus, at smaller airports, there’s only one FBO, so it’s monopolistic😡

[@jerseyshoredroneservices225]

I was kind of imagining the opposite. I wouldn't be surprised if the local government said the FBO can charge whatever they want as long as they kick back 30 percent to the City council.

[@johnqdoe]

Bro they raise the price to keep the majority of people away for that weekend, for good reason. Don’t be naive with the “freedom to fly” BS. The ramp and airspace would be an unsafe disaster if it was free for everyone to fly in. I could even go on a tangent and argue that aviation costs in general keep most people away on purpose.

[@CompleteWalkaround]

Stick it to em!! Great job once again

[@dand2440]

Well done! I’m all about making money but not at that outrageous amount especially at a public airport.

[@rjhornsby]

If the FBOs want to compete for business, I don’t really have a problem with that provided they are competing not colluding. Besides that the airports are public infrastructure, the county aviation department - a government agency operating without the constraints of the market - has a monopoly on the landing fees. None of the people arguing for the county’s position would happily pay - to the government - arbitrarily large and outrageous fees to use public parks, roads, etc. Here because it’s an airplane/airport, they figure it’s okay to stick it to the “rich guys”

[@garywatson]

Their explanation makes no sense - higher traffic automatically implies higher fee revenue and you are amortizing all the fixed costs over more customers so the price ought to go down, not up. On the other hand, if they said it’s just a way to shape demand to prevent overcapacity that would have at least been logical but jacking up the price is not the only way to do it.

[@slowhand9mm]

Thank you for the deep dive into this subject. It makes one wonder where the revenue that is generated goes. Perhaps bonuses for the airport administrators?

[@regibson23]

People who say it was supply and demand don't understand supply and demand. It was purely price gouging. Any scaling up necessary is taken care of by...wait for it...the natural increase in revenue due to increased landings.

[@ChopperChad]

Exactly right. Volume makes up the difference and many cases it should actually lower prices.

[@jaboozie9685]

This would be like the NPS charging 1k per car on the fourth of july. Great video!!

[@mikeh-p7q]

So I guess no one is doing touch and goes that weekend.

[@mderline4412]

Not if they don't have five across, plus both diagonals.....

[@ozelot250]

Vegas also has PPR prior permission required for general aviation. The NOTAM will say airport closed to transient air craft. Last year they kept doing this all year making it difficult for me to do a day trip into Vegas airport.

[@cheapskateaviation]

Awesome to see the previous video making a difference! Keep fighting the good fight. Really interesting that they say that they justify the increased cost due to the need to accommodate increased traffic. I'll bet that even with the regular landing fees they actually make more money when they have increased traffic, even if they have to hire additional hands. As a free market guy, I usually begrudgingly acknowledge the right people have to charge whatever they want. The value of something is whatever someone is willing to pay for it. However, as you mentioned, this is public infrastructure and should not be acting like a private company charging whatever they want.

[@dontcare485]

Be careful how hard you push for to weekend events. They will find another way to charge you or just increase the price once for all days to average it out. They will find a way to charge you. Vegas is the capital of extra fees