ADDING TO THE TRAFFIC

15 February 2008

Hong Kong high rollers to ride in new jets


Two new commercial airliners bought by the Las Vegas Sands Corp. will soon be flying into the congested skies around Las Vegas with high rollers from Hong Kong.

The airliners have been acquired by the giant American gambling company to serve as private jets for high stakes gamblers visiting the firm’s two Las Vegas resorts. And so as not to waste a moment on getting the whales to the tables, the aircraft will be fitted with high-limit baccarat tables for passengers to play during the 14-hour flight.

Private flights for the convenience of international VIP high rollers who wish to visit Vegas have now become commonplace.

More than 10 000 U.S. companies now own private planes, both prop- and jet-driven -- nearly double the number a decade ago.

Air traffic control saturation is moving closer, claim airline media reports. Private traffic at Las Vegas's McCarran airport, for example, is up by a third since 2001 and the facility now handles 600 private planes a day, at least a third of total traffic.

The FAA has begun sending letters to the private aircraft community asking owners to avoid McCarran at peak times, such as Sunday mornings, when delays can reach an hour or more. "We tell them to go have brunch or play a round of golf," says J. Scott De Hart, the FAA's traffic management officer at McCarran.

Clark County, which owns the airport, is taking more dramatic steps. In June it will introduce a complete remodeling of Henderson Executive Airport, a 10-minute drive southeast of McCarran. The county spent $30 million, financed in part by federal grants, to build a new tower, runway, and other facilities, replacing snack machines and trailers with a restaurant and pilot's lounge.

Randall Walker, the county's director for aviation, says McCarran is subsidising the cost of landing fees and fuel at Henderson to encourage private plane owners to switch.

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