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Cleared to land: Private pilots given rare opportunity to land at JFK, LAX and other major airports

July 18, 2020
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3 min read
Taking off from runway 31L at JFK
Cleared to land: Private pilots given rare opportunity to land at JFK, LAX and other major airports
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The airspace around the countries busiest airports -- think JFK and LAX, for example -- is usually very tightly controlled. It requires equal parts art and science to choreograph the arrival and departure of hundreds of aircraft a day, and the jumbo jets that frequent these larger airports have very strict spacing requirements due to the massive amount of wake turbulence they cause.

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While commercial air travel has rebounded slightly from its historic decline earlier this year, the number of passengers and planes flying are still significantly below their pre-pandemic levels. According to The Wall Street Journal, this is creating a once in a lifetime opportunity for private pilots to land at some of the busiest and most iconic airports in the U.S.

New York's quieter airspace means there's more room for private pilots to practice their skills (Photo by Zach Griff / The Points Guy)

Private pilots could technically request to land at any commercial airport in the country, subject to the approval of air traffic controllers. However, these airports are often so busy that less experienced private pilots would rarely try to sneak their Cessnas and Pipers into the long line of commercial jetliners waiting to land.

While there aren't official numbers on how many private pilots are landing at major commercial airports, The Wall Street Journal quotes a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the regions three main airports, saying that there's been an uptick in the number of pilots requesting touch and go's, where they land at an airport and immediately take off again.

Jon Weiswasser, a vascular surgeon from New Jersey, even filmed himself completing touch and go landings at all three major airports in the area in a single flight (JFK, LaGuardia and Newark).

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The skies remain relatively empty above New York with the three major U.S. airlines all announcing cuts to their proposed August flight schedules. United Airlines, which has a hub at Newark (EWR) Airport, now only plans to operate 35% as many flights as it flew last August. American Airlines has dropped 19 long-haul routes, and Delta is rolling back its expansion plans in August, adding only 500 flights a day instead of the 1,000 the carrier had originally planned.

Industry analysts are predicting a slow recovery to 2019 demand levels, and airlines around the world are retiring hundreds of planes to prepare for a prolonged period of depressed demand. Just this week British Airways announced that it would immediately retire its 28 remaining Boeing 747s a few days after Delta announced it would be retiring a few dozen short-haul jets, in addition to the 777s and MD-88s/MD-90s it retired earlier this year already.

Featured image by Alberto Riva

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  • Intro Offer

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  • Annual Fee

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  • Recommended Credit

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.