Why does the Goverment owns airports

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Government just runs some things better than profiteers. The government runs our roads. Why not sell them off to be run by the lowest bidder?


What are you babbling on about...there are already privately owned toll roads and bridges in this country.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Private firms used to run airport security for people boarding flights. How’d that work out?


I knew there was one person in the world who would defend the TSA. I can't believe I finally found them!


What did the TSA have....like a 98% failure rate at detected weapons when audited?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Government just runs some things better than profiteers. The government runs our roads. Why not sell them off to be run by the lowest bidder?


What are you babbling on about...there are already privately owned toll roads and bridges in this country.



Yes, $30 tolls should be ubiquitous in America. Let’s toll all the drivers outside of the beltway!!
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I’m assuming you are not a Trumpkin, and are genuinely interested. So—

Because we don’t want one company to have a monopoly on air transportation

Because we need to control costs

Because they are incredibly expensive to build and don’t turn a profit unless you want to pay hundreds of dollars more than you do for an airline ticket. There is a strong liklihoood no private company would build them. Especially once you get out of major metropolitan areas. No one wants to own the Greensboro NC airport.

Because the government needs to control every aspect of airports for quality of life and safety reasons. From eminent domain to build to the years it takes to get runways approved, to the even longer it takes to get and change flight paths to security screening to checking airplane maintenance to air traffic control. These things need government oversight. You would rather our air traffic control and security screenings to be as safe as possible, right? Not contracted out to the lowest bidder. And that planes not be inspected by someone who has an economic incentive to overlook defects. We don’t run airports to make a profit. We want them to be efficient. But not at the cost of safety.

Because once private companies get involved, you are almost inevitably talking about foreign investment. And post 9/11, anyone should be able to see that having foreigners own our airports is a huge national security issue.

General welfare clause. There are some things government does that will never turn turn a profit. They cost too much, and if you raised the price enough to cover it, most people would be priced out. Bridges, roads, aquaducts, airports— we build these things because they make our society better and because we want everyone to have the benefits. Not to make a profit.

Etc.. no one wins if you privatize airports. Except the plutocrats who get a piece of the financial action. I guarantee you if Trump signed off selling Dulles, two things would happen. Ticket prices would double. And we would discover a few years down the line that there had been a direct economic benefit to Trump.


+1
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:90% of all airports in this country are owned privately.

Large, municipal airports are the exception, not the rule.


And 90%+ of airports are tiny general aviation strips for private pilots.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Why does the Government own airports? Would they run better if Google, Apple, DC Urban Moms, McDonald's was the owner of the Airports?


No.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Why does the Government own airports? Would they run better if Google, Apple, DC Urban Moms, McDonald's was the owner of the Airports?


Yes, why should they be owned by somebody we can vote out of office if they mistreat us? Let's make US air travel like US healthcare. We all know how well the free market works there.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:90% of all airports in this country are owned privately.

Large, municipal airports are the exception, not the rule.


And 90%+ of airports are tiny general aviation strips for private pilots.


Yes. Those are the airports I use!
Anonymous
This whole privatizing of infrstrastructre is absurd. Pretty much NO infrastructure is profitable but still it serves a common good. Like roads, schools etc. An airport would only be profitable if people are willing to pay double the fares to fly into the most convenient locations. Or tolls on every road etc.
Signed
SOmeone who actually does infrastructure planning.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:90% of all airports in this country are owned privately.

Large, municipal airports are the exception, not the rule.


Obtuse FTW.
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