Super Bowl Grid Lock -- On the Ramp

The EAA Airventure in Oshkosh; any of the AOPA Fly-ins…all big events that immediately come to mind when one thinks of private aviation. However, in terms of number flights by private corporate jets, the Super Bowl is the king of them all. While the Masters and the Kentucky Derby are also big corporate events in the US, and the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco F1 Grand Prix rank highly in Europe, it is the Super Bowl that creates the most stress to those responsible for keeping all those owners happy. This past weekend saw somewhere between 1,300 and 1,600 private jets flying in and out of Houston—primarily Houston Hobby and Ellington Airports, the two closest airports to NRG Stadium where the game was played. This represents nearly 10% of the North American fleet of private business jets on the ground at the same time in one place.

Those of us airport resource planning were naturally interested in how all the local FBOs planned to keep all these Ultra-High Net Worth fans happy. Not surprisingly, they are all gearing up laying on extra staff. Million Air at Hobby brought extra people from over 30 other locations to help out besides building a brand new facility to impress the visitors. Other FBOs also made plans for their own airport ramp side tailgate parties – including perhaps the country’s largest alcohol-free game watching party exclusively for flight crews, all of which required them to schedule additional staff. Flight kitchens who cater all these aircraft also brought in extra staff to ensure no-one flew home hungry.

Unlike other events, The Masters and Cannes for example, which take place over several days, almost everyone will want to fly out immediately after the game. This should be especially so this year because, unlike resort cities in Florida, California or Arizona, people will not be extending their trips to play golf, enjoy beach time, or other leisure pursuits. After the 2012 game in Indianapolis, the wait for takeoff slots after the game extended to three hours. Reportedly, the mood in the private air terminal of people not accustomed to waiting was not pleasant, to put it mildly. To avoid a repeat this year, the National Football League (NFL) arranged with the city of Houston to reserve 50 prime departure slots at Ellington for team owners and other NFL dignitaries.

Nonetheless, organizers expected things might be different if the Atlanta Falcons were to win their first ever championship in their 50-year history. After all, when the Chicago Cubs won their first World Series baseball championship in 108 years, fans delayed their departures to have a spur-of-the-moment party at the airport. However, anyone who read the sporting news on Monday morning knows how that turned out. For those who didn’t, suffice it to say that Monday was not a happy day in the Atlanta office.