PHOENIX (AP) – For some travelers visiting Arizona for the Super Bowl, the trip may be just as memorable as the game.
Hundreds of luxury jets will arrive at the eight airports around metropolitan Phoenix by kickoff Sunday, adding to the thousands of flights expected over the weekend. The Federal Aviation Administration and area airports have been planning for the influx for the past year.
Private jet-setters will receive VIP treatment. Many travel with companies that allow individuals and businesses to own a portion of an aircraft or to buy flight hours and that lavish perks on customers including goody-filled swag bags, a concert by country group Lady Antebellum, complimentary cocktails and high-end catering once they emerge from their Lear Jets and Gulfstreams.
“We’ve got a team that greets every airplane. We do roll out – it’s maybe not red carpet – but there is carpet that’s rolled out,” said Eric Lampert, NetJets’ vice president of flight operations.
The boost in private jet traffic for the Super Bowl is a sign of how the big game has increasingly become a VIP event, from the many celebrity parties to tickets running several thousand dollars.