Latest news with #HarryReidInternationalAirport
Chicago Tribune
19 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Slots at Chicago O'Hare airport? A tacky choice.
Pop quiz: How many U.S. airports have slot machines operating among the departure and arrival gates? The answer is two: Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Reno. Those airports are in . Gambling is central to the zeitgeist of that state. People expect the chance to feed bills into slots as they wait out their flight delays. But savvy gamblers know not to touch these airside temptations, airport slots being notoriously tight, a consequence of convenience and captured customers. Moreover, it's hard to imagine that whoever is Chicago's mayor when the epic O'Hare reconstruction is completed will want to be photographed on opening day with Megabucks or Wheel of Fortune machines as their backdrop. That would be tacky. In global cities outside Nevada, cities showcase airports with fountains, play areas, soaring ceilings, even verdant lounges. They don't want to be known for trying to take Aunt Sally from Salt Lake City for twenty bucks as she changes planes to one bound for Sarasota. We understand the aldermanic temptation to squeeze revenue from every corner of Terminal 3, especially if they can plausibly argue the money is not coming from Chicagoans (although that's a debatable point). Faced with a mayoral administration allergic to any kind of trimming of expenses, aldermen cast around like they're pulling up couch cushions looking for dimes. Even aside from the above objections, it's by no means clear that Chicago would actually make money from airport slots as distinct from syphoning off revenue from a casino that has yet to open. The tax regulations surrounding different kinds of automated ways to lose your money — slots are not the same as video terminals — are complicated and come at varying rates. Plus we imagine the highly successful Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, just a dice throw from O'Hare, would have a lot to say if airside slots came to pass. And let's not forget that Rivers coughs up millions in taxes to both Des Plaines and the state of Illinois. For all of those reasons, we think the ordinance authorizing slots at Chicago's airports, as introduced by Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, is a losing proposition. At minimum, the city should wait until its new casino opens and a clearer picture emerges of the current state of (legal) gambling in our metro area. In the meantime, aldermen could press the administration to find some ways to cut the city some slack.
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First Post
10-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
After 'Epstein Files', Maga attacks Trump administration over migrant farm workers
After going after Attorney General Pam Bondi over the 'Epstein Files', the Maga movement has turned its rage at Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins over President Donald Trump's decision to allow illegal immigrants to continue working in farms and hotels and avoid ongoing mass deportation for now. read more US President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One en route to Florida at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on January 25, 2025. AP After Attorney General Pam Bondi, the far-right Maga movement has found its new target in Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollings over the Donald Trump administration's policy on illegal immigrants working in farms. Trump has said that illegal immigrants working in farms and hotels will not be part of the ongoing mass deportation. He has said that the administration will come up with a way to keep them in the country to sustain the agriculture sector. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump's Maga base is furious as it sees the decision as a betrayal of the pledge to remove all illegal immigrants from the country. On the other hand, farmers have demanded such a step as agriculture sector and associated industries, such as meat processing plants and packaging centres, depend heavily on illegal workers. There are already signs that Trump's crackdown has led to a crisis in the farming sector. The raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have wrought havoc on the agriculture sector and as many as 70 per cent of farm workers in some parts of the country have stopped showing to work, according to The Daily Telegraph. As a result, crops have started to rot in fields and labour shortages are being reported in meat-packing facilities, directing affecting food production. Trump seeks middle ground but Maga erupts in outrage In an interview with Fox News, Trump outlined the uncomfortable situation that he faced where he had to balance immigration agenda with farming needs. 'I'm on both sides of the thing. I'm the strongest immigration guy that there's ever been, but I'm also the strongest farmer guy that there's ever been. And that includes also hotels and, you know, places where people work,' said Trump. As a result, Trump has announced a programme under which farmers will vouch for illegal immigrants working for them and they will then be allowed to work for them after the required declaration. Trump, however, said that there would not be any amnesty or pathway to citizenship. Trump dubbed this a new 'work programme' and said 'we're going to sort of put the farmers in charge' as they have worked with these people for years. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'If a farmer has been with one of these people that worked so hard — they bend over all day, we don't have too many people that can do that, but they work very hard, and they know him very well, and some of the farmers are literally, you know, they cry when they see this happen. If a farmer is willing to vouch for these people, in some way, Kristi, I think we're going to have to just say that's going to be good, right?' said Trump on Thursday. Maga slams Trump's farm workers agenda Slamming the Trump's administration's stand on illegal farm workers, far-right activist Chrlie Kirk said that elites like Agriculture Secretary Rollins were giving Trump advice that could break the Maga coalition apart. 'If you want to break our coalition, go and push amnesty,' said Kirk. Separately, far-right commentator Laura Loomer, who has often lashed out at those she sees as diluting the Maga agenda, accused Rollins of undermining Trump's America First agenda by 'trying to get amnesty for illegal alien farm workers'. Social media platforms like X were also full of posts in which far-right supporters of Trump slammed the administration's stand and dubbed it as betrayal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The Independent
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Las Vegas sees drop in visitors due to ‘Trump Slump' and high costs
Las Vegas experienced a 7.8 percent drop in visitor numbers in March, with international arrivals at Harry Reid International Airport also down by 8.7 percent in May. The decline is attributed to a combination of a ' Trump slump', which has seen international travelers avoid the US, and the city's 'ridiculous prices'. Anthony Curtis, publisher of Las Vegas Advisor website, stated that visitors are fed up with excessive costs, including parking and resort fees, on the Strip. An example of the high prices cited was a visitor paying $40 for two coffees and two croissants. Michael Trager of TravelZork suggested that visitors can save money by dining off-strip or 'strip adjacent' and by purchasing a Las Vegas Advisor Membership for deals.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
‘Ridiculous prices' blamed for slump in Las Vegas visitor numbers
Las Vegas visitor numbers have dropped by almost 8 percent and it's the "ridiculous prices" that are keeping people away, according to one Sin City expert. The Nevada gambling mecca welcomed 3.39 million visitors in March, compared with 3.68 million in February, a fall of 7.8 per cent, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). International arrivals at the Harry Reid International Airport were down 8.7 percent in May compared with the same month in 2024. The drop appears to be part of the " Trump slump", which has seen many international travellers eschewing the U.S. There have been several high profile deportation cases including German backpackers Charlotte Pohl and Maria Lepère, Rebecca Burke from Wales and Lucas Sielaff from Germany. However Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor website and newsletter, told The Times that costs are also a big factor. He told the newspaper: "On the Strip, people get taken for a ride. Once they get here they're like, 'I'm tired of being treated like this. I'm tired of having to pay these ridiculous prices.' "There are fees all over the place — fees to park, resort fees on top of room rates. And people are getting fed up with it. We hear that a lot from our customers." The paper cited the example of one visitor who paid $40 for two coffees and two croissants. Las Vegas expert Michael Trager, who runs travel tips site TravelZork, told The Independent that one way to keep costs down is to "dine off-strip or 'strip adjacent'". He revealed: "You can get huge value by leaving your hotel property to dine at some of the more local places. "A quick Uber can yield incredible value." He also recommends purchasing Las Vegas Advisor Membership, which offers a $50 yearly membership deal that includes a "coupon book on steroids" that will "pay for itself 10 times over".
Time Out
03-07-2025
- Time Out
Two of the world's most beautiful airports are in the U.S.
An airport doesn't have to be beautiful to be useful—we'd all trade a faster TSA line for a little less aesthetic beauty in the terminals. But when all goes well and you speed through the checkpoints, it honestly makes the whole journey better the airport has put in a little effort to make the site attractive. Maybe that includes spectacular airport art, luxuriously appointed lounges or simply wide windows to watch those planes take off. And this year's Prix Versailles celebrates all of the above, honoring the six most stunning travel hubs in the world—and two of them are right here in the U.S. The awards body acknowledges that making an attractive airport has its difficulties, especially "in terms of flow management and the aircraft themselves.' Moving and seating herds of people doesn't exactly make an architect's spirits rise, but when it's done right, it's incredibly satisfying. (Anyone who has ever fought through the slot machine-filled terminal at Las Vegas's Harry Reid International Airport knows it was a fun idea but ultimately very impractical). One of those gorgeous homegrown airports is Portland International Airport in Oregon, which earns a coveted place on the Prix Versailles list for its main terminal renovation by ZGF. The space is evocative of a forest and is intended to calm passengers with its sense of light flow and greenery—a massive nine-acre timber roof harks to Oregon's forestry history and was built with wood sourced no further than 300 miles from the airport. The roof line curves as branches do and creates a beautiful relaxing art installation that also lets in natural light that dapples as if you're in an actual forest. The renovation doubled the footprint of the original 1958 terminal, and the undulating roofline makes the space 'break off' into smaller rooms, which also helps passengers feel relaxed. Glazing permits passengers to look out onto the airfield and the surrounding forest, while interior tree groupings bring the woods into the airport. Sustainability details are equally impressive: Renovating in place rather than starting new construction created a 70-percent reduction in carbon footprint, while 60-percent of the terminal is naturally daylit. The other airport garnering this honor is San Francisco International. It has erected 25 new gates in Terminal 1 with Gensler architectural firm, and the renovation reduced the airport's carbon footprint by 79-percent and its energy usage by 59-percent. Much like the Portland airport's renovation, San Francisco's also allows soft, natural light to filter into the space to soothe passengers. The airport is the only one in the world with an accredited on-site museum and impressive art is also found all throughout the airport space. Harvey Milk Terminal 1 opened in June 2024 and is named for San Francisco trailblazer Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California—a permanent exhibit in the SFO Museum celebrates the life and legacy of the LGBTQ trailblazer. The terminal showcases colorful artworks with bright, white curving walls and ceilings, and unusually shaped window portholes. Most helpful for those who cringe every time a loud announcement goes over the PA system, Gensler worked with SFO to incorporate biophilic (a.k.a. nature-based) design principles to make the space quieter—and gate announcements are only made at the boarding area where you're at. Neurodivergent passengers will also want to check out Terminal 1's Sensory Room. The world's most beautiful airports, according to Prix Versailles Yantai Penglai International Airport Terminal 2 (Yantai, China) Marseille Provence Airport Terminal 1 (Marignane, France) Roland Garros Airport Arrivals Terminal (Réunion Island, France) Kansai International Airport Terminal 1 (Osaka, Japan) Portland International Airport Main Terminal (Portland, United States) San Francisco International Airport Terminal 1 (San Francisco, United States)
