What most people dont seem to appreciate when drawing comparisons with the US is that over there, the majority of airports are publicly own and funded in a large part by the taxpayer. As a result they are obliged to be available. Restrictions in use are prohibited if federal funding has been made (eg for a runway upgrade).
The relatively few private airfields tend to charge landing fees and will require PPR as well.
He in the UK, airports are not funded by the taxpayer and rely on customers for their income hence the relatively high fees charged to users.
Taxpayer support for aviation goes even further in the US than support of airports. It is why I can have a pilots certifcate issued for free by the FAA (courtesy of the taxpayer) and why I have to pay the CAA £166 for the same because the UK taxpayer is not funding the CAA.
I love the US taxpayer.
