Some Are Skeptical Of The Crowd Estimates

Organizers of the Atlantic City Air Show say the event this Friday could draw as many as 1 million people to the city, though some have said that number is greatly inflated.

While one consultant told The Press of Atlantic City that it is physically impossible for the city to accommodate even the 800,000 the air show organizers said attended last year's show, the event organizers said that the statistics include all spectators in Absecon Island, which includes the cities of Ventnor, Margate, and Longport as well as Atlantic City.

Others, such as the South Jersey Transportation Authority, said that based on the number of cars coming through the Pleasantville toll plaza leading to Atlantic City, there were about 93,000 people headed to the beach on the day of the show last year.

The president of the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the show, said that their crowd estimates are from police and emergency personnel, and then compared to estimates made by those flying over the island, such as the U.S. Army Golden Knights.

There have long been differences in the number of people estimated to be coming to the island to watch the show. But even if they are way off, Chamber president Joe Kelly said "its a great show with a whole lot of people watching." He said he would like to get more precise estimates for the event, but that the aerial surveys that would have to be done are cost prohibitive.

FMI: https://atlanticcitynj.com/acairshow.aspx