PPR for special events and super busy weekends is not actually the issue, and is necessary under extreme circumstances. Gigantic landing fees for anybody, even without using any FBO services is the issue because US taxpayer funded public airports (as opposed to FBOs) are not properly run for-profit.
In another discussion group that I’m on I’ve been led to believe that that AOPA and FAA have already contacted the County about this whole crap, although that’s rumor, so take it with a grain of salt.
I totally agree that the problem isn’t implementing PPR at all (especially if it were e.g. a lottery for a landing slot during an expected to be busy time), it’s the fee for using a public airport.
It looks like the PPR and high fee structure common and being expanded in Europe has now been noticed as a revenue grab by US airports. 
[ post moved to existing thread ]
The Counties’ reported response to AOPA’s criticism seems a little limp. My experience of US airports that charge landing fees (eg. Jackson Hole) is that an innocent remark along the lines of “It’s just like being back in Europe” invokes a much more spirited response.
Not that I travel around the US deliberately annoying airport managements, of course.
AOPA are claiming ‘success’ in a fee reduction and even refunds. It’s still $750 though:
Surprisingly both Northtown and Henderson had failed to sell out at the earlier prices.
Maybe AOPA (UK) could organise some meetings with Luton Airport? Oh, thought not.
The Counties’ reported response to AOPA’s criticism seems a little limp
Las Vegas caught AOPA by surprise, and then they were slow to react so the County largely got away with it. A reduction to $750 is hardly a major victory. However I believe the circus is scheduled to come to town for another 9 years and would expect that a year of preparation and politicking and should result in a better outcome. Time will tell, the biggest issue is the precedent if they are allowed to get away with it by FAA.
I understand the event is run in the middle of the night, for European TV audiences to watch after breakfast. I don’t see this lasting for ten years and it might be better for everybody if the participants and their fans stayed home and slept at night instead.
It would be interesting to know how many parking slots the County actually sold. I suspect that empty spaces were a more powerful argument than AOPA’s protestations. In the event, I imagine the price ‘concession’ came far too late to make any difference. But from subsequent press coverage it looks as though LVGP is here (or there) to stay!
It’s not AOPA that will be the key player in resolving Clark Counties inappropriate and illegal fee situation, it’s FAA. Clark County couldn’t care less about AOPA so the AOPA role will be to raise awareness with FAA, which although legally disciplined is as lethargic and lazy as any government organization. AOPA will do that by lobbying Congress over time, as well as having direct interactions with FAA to let them know what they’re doing. With enough pressure FAA will then do its job, which means threatening to withhold Federal airport funds from Clark County airports. That’s the only thing that will stop this nonsense.
I’m sure the Las Vegas car race will get a good run given the money that’s been invested but “here to stay” is likely a bit optimistic. This is the place where giant hotels get built and then pulled down after 20 years, and the only reason for this particular event is to fill out the calendar for European mass market TV consumption – which can be done anywhere that pays enough. Meanwhile visitors to Vegas get bored and look for something new. This is not an iconic event, despite the overseas interest. The issue for pilots is not this particular event but that there are more events that Clark County is cashing in on, it’s a local trend. It could however be good that local government tried to do this with full offshore-authoritarian style, imposed such an unprecedented landing fee for this event and got people’s attention.
Agree, the outrageous fees they tried to charge actually helped wake up the snoozing dogs at the FAA.
Let’s hope you are both right about the FAA. It seems to me that the empty slots (18 might be most of the available transient parking at VGT) speak more loudly than either AOPA or FAA and I wonder if they sold any slots at all at those prices. I can’t find a diagram but recall 3 rows of 10 spaces, some of which are occupied by long term tie downs.
A bigger concern even than price gouging might be that personal GA as a means of visiting events has steadily declined steadily during my time at CES until, as I said before, there were less than a handful of us at the last pre-Covid show in Jan 2020.
