A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Business Aviation Services Editor

Curt Epstein

Banyan Air Service, an FBO at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (KFXE), has joined the list of aircraft service providers that will <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2026-04-30/some-fbos-decline-special-event-fee-charges">not</a> charge special event fees for the FIFA World Cup, which starts next month in 16 cities across North America.
KFXE is a 25-minute drive from Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, which will host seven tournament matches starting on June 15. This includes four group-stage games, a round of 32 match, a quarter-final, and the July 18 Bronze Final.
FIFA’s quadrennial championship is the world’s largest sporting event. As a member of the U.S. Customs Reimbursable Services Program (RSP) and the sole provider at KFXE offering customs services, Banyan will provide flexibility for international arrivals.
Though the FBO expects increased activity levels throughout the event period, it decided to maintain its standard pricing structure and plans to support aircraft handling, scheduling, and guest services without disruption.
“Large-scale international events often lead to temporary pricing adjustments across the industry,” said Banyan COO Jon Tonko. “Our approach is deliberate—to invest in the infrastructure, staffing, and planning required to support elevated traffic levels while maintaining the service standards our customers rely on. Choosing not to impose event fees reflects both our operational readiness and our long-term commitment to customer partnership.”

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Banyan Air Service at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport will not charge special event fees for next month’s FIFA World Cup.

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