[lvmensch]

There are certain things that make more sense to be government run. Roads, Highways and Airports are the obvious ones. Air traffic would of course be virtually impossible without the air navigation easement on all properties.
No reason why certain functions cannot be privatized and they often are. Baggage handling at an airport for instance or the providing of services to air travelers which is virtually always done by private entities.
There is and remains the possibility of certain functions that are government run going private...ATC for instance. The government has proven utterly inept at implementing a modern scheme and the airlines would like to do it themselves...though that would likely end up some quasi governmental non-profit paid for by the airlines.

[BBMW]

Bruff should just move to Denver, since he like that airport so much.

[Bruff]

Originally Posted by observer53

What private entity is going to buy the land and build a new airport?

That's easy: the one that bids the most.
Fortunately, unlike most areas where, to build a new airport hundreds if not thousands of homes would have to be expropriated (example: Pickering, Ontario, where I used to live) or an island leveled (example, Hong Kong), the land in question (Ivanpah) is a bought and paid for bowl of sand where the only issue is accommodating a turtle and the like. It would be the simplest development project on the face of the earth.
Airports are money magnets and are among the most valuable properties on earth, and if the decision were ever made to relocate McCarran, you'd see a land rush of epic proportions, followed by a greening of the desert the likes of which is only seen in Dubai.

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by BBMW

Bruff should just move to Denver, since he like that airport so much.

Have you ever flown into that airport? I have. Not a pleasant experience.

[Bruff]

Originally Posted by lvmensch

Roads and Airports are obvious things that make more sense to be government run. Air traffic would be virtually impossible without the air navigation easement on all properties.

On roads, recall the Northridge quake where the private contractor, incentivized with a $200k/day bonus, picked up $14.5M when he finished 74 days early. Said Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan: "This project demonstrates what can happen when private sector innovation and market incentives replace business as usual. This is the way government should be carried out all the time, not just in emergencies." I agree.

As for McCarran et al, demand for air travel is expected to double in the coming decade. You may think that government will be able to keep up with the demand. Ce n'est pas moi.

[Bruff]

Originally Posted by NLVgal

Have you ever flown into that airport? I have. Not a pleasant experience.

Interesting, because DIA is very highly rated. What did you find unpleasant?

[BBMW]

So start a company raise the money and do it.

As far as the example you're using. The LA county (if they're the agency that did it) put out a pot of gold, and the company busted it's a$$ to get it, which was fine. But here's the point you're missing. There's no pot of gold out there to be claimed. That's why you don't see private companies pursuing this project.

Originally Posted by Bruff

On roads, recall the Northridge quake where the private contractor, incentivized with a $200k/day bonus, picked up $14.5M when he finished 74 days early. Said Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan: "This project demonstrates what can happen when private sector innovation and market incentives replace business as usual. This is the way government should be carried out all the time, not just in emergencies." I agree.

As for McCarran et al, demand for air travel is expected to double in the coming decade. You may think that government will be able to keep up with the demand. Ce n'est ce pas moi.

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by Bruff

Interesting, because DIA is very highly rated. What did you find unpleasant?

It was a long time ago, so bear with me. Simple geography played a part. The pilots have to go high to avoid the mountains, and then quickly reduce altitude to land because they put that airport in what is essentially a ditch. Not pleasant for eardrums. It was also sinking ( old news stories can be found ) because they put an underground railway underneath it and someone didn't do the hiring right with engineers. It's also so spread out that making your connection was dicey.

Now, good airports, include our own sweet home, Sky Harbor in Phoenix, and the little one that resides in Ontario, CA. What they all have in common is being user-friendly.

I am not opposed to an additional airport. If they could put one out in the boonies, No Problem.

Fun fact about LAS? The parking garage has bats. Lots of them. When nightfall comes, the bats tend to wake up, and all go jammin out of the structure at the same time. Scares the crap outta people. Cracks me up.

[BBMW]

^
The NYC airports have issues with bird strikes. I wonder if LAS has issues with bat strikes (the bats may be small enough not to be an issue)

[Bruff]

Originally Posted by BBMW

LA county put out a pot of gold and the company busted it's a$$ to get it.

The State of California figured that every day the roads didn't work represented $1M in loss, so it turned out to be a good investment. Where do you see that in Vegas (except in the private sector)? Start with the Spaghetti Bowl. Next, try any intersection.

...the point you're missing (is that here in Vegas) there's no pot of gold.That's why you don't see private companies pursuing this project.

WHAT...?! Go to my example of Denver where, after it was moved, scrub wasteland turned into its pot of gold. Were the same scenario to happen here, do you not think that things would be the same...only a few billion times better?
As for private companies not pursuing airport privatization, wait till a visionary like Jeff Bezos clues-in.