A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Business Aviation Services Editor

Curt Epstein

While the imposition of special event fees by FBOs at major events may now seem an unavoidable part of business aviation, some smaller service providers, such as Clay Lacy Aviation and Desert Jet Center, are bucking that trend in an effort to differentiate themselves.
“Special event fees were originally implemented to help offset the legitimate and significant costs associated with handling high-volume traffic within a compressed timeframe such as the Super Bowl, Kentucky Derby, or Formula 1 race weekends,” said Doug Wilson, chief business officer for Clay Lacy’s FBO division. “These events can require flying in additional personnel, securing accommodations, bringing in extra ground support equipment, and mobilizing more fuel trucks to meet demand, all of which drive real operational expense.”
Yet, according to the California-based company, that paradigm has since expanded to include smaller events that don’t generate significant traffic. With the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament spanning 16 host cities across North America over a month, the company anticipates no such logistical strain, aside from possibly the final match on July 19 outside of New York City.
As a result, Clay Lacy declared that it will not charge special event fees at its FBOs serving the host city of Los Angeles—Van Nuys Airport/KVNY and John Wayne Airport, Orange County/KSNA—or on the East Coast in Connecticut (Waterbury-Oxford Airport/KOXC) with proximity to games in New York and Boston.
Continuing with its own prohibition on special event fees, Desert Jet Center in Palm Springs, California, also declined to implement them for aircraft arriving this month for its busiest period of the year: the marquee music festivals of Coachella and Stagecoach.
“Special moments shouldn’t carry special charges,” said DJC general manager Roman Mendez. “We don’t charge special event fees because increased volume helps offset the additional resources needed to support demand, allowing us to maintain consistent, transparent pricing for our guests.”

New developments at FBOs including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

Some FBOs Eschewing Special Event Fees

Extra charges apparently are not inevitable

With FBOs in proximity to three FIFA World Cup tournament host cities, Clay Lacy Aviation will abstain from charging special event fees during the tournament.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

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