At the Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey, Idaho, the most hectic time of the year revolves around what locals call “fly-in” and “fly-out” days. These mark the arrival and departure of private jets packed with billionaires headed to the annual Allen & Company Conference in nearby Sun Valley, a mountain resort that brings together some of the world’s most powerful moguls each July.
Compounded by a bustling summer tourism season, the conference “definitely makes it the busiest week of the year for us here,” Tim Burke, director of the Friedman Memorial Airport, told Observer via email. This year, the event’s “fly-in” and “fly-out” days will occur on July 8 and July 12, and the airport expects 150 to 175 arrivals of corporate jets on day one, Burke said.
Silicon Valley heavyweights like Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook made the conference’s 2025 guest list, alongside media tycoons Rupert Murdoch, Bob Iger and Michael Bloomberg. But what attendees actually do at the annual event, often described as a “summer camp for billionaires,” remains something of a mystery.
Hosted by investment firm Allen & Co. since the 1980s, the secretive conference features lectures, meetings and panels that remain behind closed doors and largely off-limits to the press. The networking-heavy week has a reputation for catalyzing major deals. It’s often credited with influencing Jeff Bezos’ 2013 decision to acquire The Washington Post and The Walt Disney Company’s 1996 merger with ABC.
Preparations begin months in advance
The Friedman Memorial Airport requires months of preparation to handle the logistics demands of the annual jet influx—a task made even more challenging by its single runway and the rugged terrain that surrounds it. Around four months prior to the Allen & Co. “fly-in” date, the airport begins coordination meetings with both its local air traffic control tower and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel in Salt Lake City, Utah. “We want to ensure, well ahead of time, that we’re on the same page with arrival routes, departure procedures, ground procedures, and that clear lines of communication are established,” said Burke.
Managing air traffic is only half the challenge. Coordinating that flow with congestion on the ground is equally complex. If arrival rates exceed aircraft parking, for example, systems could get gridlocked. By building close relationships across the airport’s various agencies, Burke said the facility has “built a pretty smooth-running machine to accommodate this type of event without major hiccups.”
Another priority for Burke and his staff is minimizing the impact on local residents. To that end, the airport runs a year-round voluntary noice abatement program that requests aircraft avoid operations between 11pm and 7am—an initiative that Burke said has resulted in a high compliance rate.
Overall, Burke believes the spike in air traffic is a net positive for the region. “While I’m not naive to the fact that not everybody is a fan of airplane noise, I think the overall impact to our local economy—our hotels, restaurants, breweries, transportation, companies, and boutique craft stores—is positive,” said Burke. “I’m proud of the role our airport plays in connecting this amazing mountain valley to the rest of the world.”