How 8 Arizona airports are prepping for Super Bowl XLIX

Airports throughout the Valley are preparing for a significant increase in out-of-town visitors for Super Bowl XLIX, which takes place on Feb. 1 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration and airport officials, the weekend is sure to be one of the busiest ever at local airports. Planning has been under way since last year's game.

Expected are about 1,200 additional private aircraft, which along with commercial flights and charters are likely to bring an additional 100,000 people to the Phoenix area for the football game.

And the game is not the only big event that weekend. The Waste Management Phoenix Open also is taking place at TPC of Scottsdale, an event that even without the Super Bowl attracts numerous visitors from out of town.

FAA Spokesman Ian Gregor said the agency has held multiple meetings with Phoenix Sky Harbor, Scottsdale, Phoenix Deer Valley, Phoenix Goodyear, Glendale Municipal, Phoenix Mesa Gateway, and Chandler Municipal airport officials and fixed base operators, who handle flights at each field.

The fixed-base operators are establishing procedures, known as Prior Permission Required, or PPR, to manage the arrival and departure demands for the Super Bowl.
 
PPR is a reservations system designed to smooth out large spikes of general, or private, aviation traffic into a manageable flow for both the FBOs and air traffic operations. It spreads out arrivals and departures instead of cramming them all into a handful of time periods.

Gregor said the agency also has developed an operational airspace plan with dedicated northbound departure routes out of Scottsdale and Deer Valley to expedite traffic from both airports. Officials have assessed the expected arrival and departure rates for all Phoenix area airports to ensure the control towers, approach controls and en route centers will be able to handle the volume.

The FAA also is working with air traffic control personnel, providing training and planning extended operating hours.

According to airport operators, people arrive in town at different times, but they all want to leave at once.

Only two airports in the area, Sky Harbor and Mesa-Phoenix Gateway, handle passengers on commercial airliners. The remainder of the fields are for general aviation, a term used to describe private aircraft use.

Scottsdale Airport

Plans or upgrades in preparation for the Super Bowl: Scottsdale Airport, like other Valley airports, has worked with the FAA, Super Bowl Transportation Committee and local, state and federal agencies on an creating its respective airport operations plans, according to Aviation Planning and Outreach Coordinator Sarah Ferrara. She said the Scottsdale operations plan will be published soon at www.scottsdaleairport.com/azsuperbowl, with information on what visitors need to know when flying in for Super Bowl. Flying into Scottsdale Airport will follow normal procedures, but departures will be established using a reservation system that will take effect at halftime of the game and continue through Feb. 2.

Money spent related to Super Bowl: None. Ferrara says the airport is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the facility at all times, "so we are keeping up with our normal maintenance routine and schedule." There are no specific projects planned just because of Super Bowl.

Expected increase in flights: For Super Bowl weekend in 2008 (Thursday through Tuesday), Scottsdale Airport experienced about a 54 percent increase in airport operations compared with that weekend the year before. Ferrara says the airport expects a similar increase in operations for this year's Super Bowl weekend.

Phoenix Deer Valley Airport

Plans or upgrades: No physical changes are being made to Phoenix Deer Valley Airport, but there is significant planning and preparation in coordination with other Valley airports and the FAA, said Julie Rodriguez, public information manager for Phoenix's three airports. Phoenix Deer Valley is the busiest general-aviation airport in the United States, she said. Phoenix Deer Valley has two fixed-base operators (FBOs), Cutter and Atlantic, which will provide fueling, ground service, rental car and ground transportation and other services for pilots, flight crew and their passengers (such as catering, etc).

Money spent: Nothing additional.

Expected increase in flights: Last Super Bowl, Phoenix Deer Valley Airport hosted approximately 200 additional aircraft which flew in for the event and parked overnight. Additional aircraft flew in and dropped off passengers, then picked them up after the game. Deer Valley can accommodate more than 200 additional aircraft, the number will depend on the size of the planes.

Goodyear Airport

Plans or upgrades: Similar to Deer Valley, there have been no physical changes made to the facilities for the Super Bowl, however Goodyear is making significant procedural preparations for the event. Staff at Goodyear works closely with its fixed base operator (FBO) Lux Air, the FAA and other partners to maximize the available space for accommodating additional aircraft. As far as rental cars, Goodyear is accustomed to offering rental-car services for events such as NASCAR. It tracks when customers are arriving and expecting a rental car and arranges for delivery at that time. There are also overflow parking areas available for rental car and ground transportation staging. Phoenix Goodyear's FBO Lux Air plays an important role, providing fueling, ground service, rental car and ground transportation and other services for pilots, flight crew and their passengers (such as catering, etc).

Money spent: Nothing additional.

Expected increase in flights: Goodyear can handle 140-150 additional aircraft (aircraft that aren't based at Goodyear) for the event. During the last Super Bowl, Goodyear accommodated about 100 aircraft for the event. Some parked overnight and others dropped off passengers at Goodyear then came back after the game to pick them up.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Plans or upgrades: Sky Harbor expects more than 4 million passengers between the end of December, when the college bowl games begin, and early February when Super Bowl and Phoenix Open visitors depart. The busiest day at Sky Harbor will be Feb. 2, the day after Super Bowl, said Julie Rodriguez, public information manager. The airport will see an estimated 60 percent increase in passengers, mostly departures. On an average day, Phoenix Sky Harbor serves about 115,000 passengers. Officials anticipate approximately 180,000 passengers on Feb. 2. On an average day, Phoenix Sky Harbor has approximately 1,200 takeoffs and landings. Officials anticipate 1,600 takeoffs and landings on Feb. 2, the day after Super Bowl. The airport is planning for increased traffic at the Rental Car Center, restaurants and shops are planning to remain open longer, and more taxi cabs will be available. The airport also is creating staging areas and a curb management plan for limousines and shuttles.

Money spent: Sky Harbor relies on passengers traveling to and from Phoenix to generate the revenues needed to operate the airport, Rodriguez said. Events like the Super Bowl bring thousands of additional passengers through the airport who spend money at restaurants, shops, car-rental facilities and other airport services. These event-related airport revenues more than offset any additional staffing needs, security and other costs associated with hosting an event such as this.

Expected increase in flights: Arrivals for the game will be spaced throughout the week, airport officials say. But departures will be congested, especially the day after the game. On Feb. 2, Sky Harbor is expecting a 60 percent increase in passengers, from 115,000 to 180,000. It is expecting 400 additional takeoffs as well, up to 1,600. The airport also is expecting 100 charter flights and 250 private jets.

Glendale Municipal Airport

Plans or upgrades: "There's a beautiful, new, black runway with fresh paint markings, and it was by happenstance," said Walter Fix, the airport's director. The runway was recently repaved as part of the Arizona Department of Transportation's pavement preservation program, though the project was unrelated to the Super Bowl. It also will be creating extra parking on the south side of the airport for Super Bowl visitors.
Money spent: None directly associated with the game. However, the airport has been spending time to find a new tenant to operate the in-airport café, which should be up and running in time for the game.

Expected increase in flights: They won't know for certain until reservations start coming in once the playing teams are announced, Fix said, but he's sure they'll be operating at capacity, which is 100 jets at a time. There also may be a blimp operator working out of the airport, an unusual sight that Fix is eager to pin down.

Mesa's Falcon Field Airport

Plans or upgrades: A series of projects from their improvement program will be completed in October, including installation of runway lights, runway-pavement rehabilitation, and an expanded FBO.

Money spent: It is finalizing the costs of Super Bowl-related marketing, including print and online advertising, social media and promotion at the annual National Business Aviation Association conference in October.

Expected increase in flights: Falcon Field is not requiring pilots to make a reservation through the PPR, so there may be an unanticipated increase due to pilots who decide to fly on short notice. It saw almost 6,000 takeoffs and landings the week of the 2008 game, though it is impossible to tell which were Super Bowl-related. The airport has two runways and two helicopter pads, so it plans to be busy with corporate jets, private aircraft and more.

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport

Plans or upgrades: The ramp was made 15 feet longer last year in order to get planes closer to the FBO, but the upgrade was part of its capital-improvements plan and not game-related, according to airport spokesman Brian Sexton.

Money spent: It will rent additional equipment such as ice machines and refrigerators for catering storage for the week, though the associated costs are not yet known.

Expected increase in flights: About 85 aircraft stayed with the airport during the 2008 Super Bowl, and it is anticipating a similar turnout.

Chandler Municipal Airport

Plans or upgrades: The airport has completed more than $2.5 million in improvements in the past three years, though they are grant-funded and not related to the Super Bowl. They upgraded the terminal-building furniture, installed free wireless internet, made runway improvements, completed a new auto parking lot and rehabilitated an aircraft apron, according to airport administrator Lori Quan.

Money spent: None related to the game.

Expected increase in flights: It hasn't yet speculated what the increase in traffic may be, but Super Bowl-related traffic was minimal in 2008, Quan said.

- Source:  http://www.azcentral.com