FLYING HIGH

A record-number of aircraft will fly in and out of North Texas come Super Bowl week — and the Aviation Action Team is working hard to ensure friendly skies

By Steve Pate

EYES IN THE SKY: Fegan and his Aviation Action Team want to ensure that the region is well-prepared for the increased air traffi

NFL fans in this modern era understand the importance of controlling the airways. What the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee is doing right now is rolling out a game plan for 2011 that includes just that:

Making sure local airports, however large or small, enjoy the optimum economic impact and experience from the North Texas Super Bowl.

In the words of Host Committee Vice President & COO Tara Green, “There is more economic impact from a Super Bowl than just buying a T-shirt and staying at a hotel.

“These are the ripple effects — how it impacts the airports.”

Jeff Fegan, Chair of the Host Committee’s Aviation Action Team and Director of DFW International Airport, is keenly involved in Super Bowl preparations already underway. Enough so, that he even attended the last Super Bowl in Tampa with other North Texas Host Committee board members and staff.

The Aviation Action Team is already up and flying, with representation from all over North Texas, including airports in Addison, Arlington, Fort Worth, Denton and more.

“Jeff has put an amazing team together,” Green said.

Bob Blankenship, DFW International’s Assistant Vice President, Planning Department, is helping Fegan and Green and others build a Game Plan to better accommodate an All-Star squad from the aviation field, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Transportation Security Administration, Homeland Security, and all involved airports. The Aviation Action Team pulls all of them together under a united front.

“One of the great benefits of the Super Bowl,” Green said, “is regional cooperation. And that extends to the airports.”

There’s much to figure:

What impact will Super Bowl week have on North Texas airports? And how is that coordinated?

How many more travelers will be coming that week?

Airports will obviously benefit from the Super Bowl week in ramp fees and in fuel charges. What other ways should they be aware of, and prepare for?

How can the Host Committee’s Aviation Action Team best educate and prepare the general aviation community for this remarkable week of business and benefits?

Of this, there is no question: Air traffic during Super Bowl week will be noticeably greater than your typical day of aviation, even for an airport the size of DFW International.

“You have 150,000 to 200,000 people flying in for the game and for the events surrounding the game,” Green said. “There’s going to be an increase in both private planes and in commercial traffic.”

Demands on overall transportation for a Super Bowl are so great that the Host Committee has created both an Aviation Action Team and an entirely separate Transportation Action Team.

The Aviation team will focus on flights — travelers coming to the Super Bowl on commercial airlines, and on private planes and private pilots.

The Transportation Team will also focus on all ground transportation from the airports to the hotels, hotels to venues and so on.

It’s exciting work. And innovative work, for a region hosting its first ever Super Bowl.

“We plan to unite the resources of all of the municipal airports in the region, and coordinate their communications,” Green said. “We want to help them market themselves as a desirable destination for all the pilots and planes coming in.”

Up, up and away. It’s the NFL game today.