Current:Home > MyTaylor Swift could make it to the Super Bowl from Tokyo. Finding private jet parking, that’s tricky. -MacroWatch
Taylor Swift could make it to the Super Bowl from Tokyo. Finding private jet parking, that’s tricky.
View
Date:2025-04-12 06:54:52
LAS VEGAS (AP) — If Taylor Swift is jetting from her upcoming Tokyo concert to Las Vegas to see boyfriend Travis Kelce play in the Super Bowl the next day, she’d better already have a place to park her plane.
Places to leave private aircraft at airports in and around Las Vegas have been spoken for, airport and Federal Aviation Administration officials said Thursday. Just over a week remains before the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers face off in the NFL championship game.
The four airports immediately around Las Vegas have about 475 parking spaces combined, said Heidi Hayes, a spokesperson for the Clark County Department of Aviation.
“Oh, they’re full,” said Rick Breitenfeldt, FAA spokesman for his sixth Super Bowl.
NOT THE FIRST TIME
Las Vegas-area airports also reached capacity for private planes during the inaugural Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix auto race in November, Hayes said.
Clark County handles Harry Reid International, one of the busiest passenger airports in the U.S., along with busy general aviation airports in suburban North Las Vegas and Henderson. Hayes also checked Boulder City Municipal Airport, about 24 miles (39 kilometers) east of Las Vegas.
Air traffic is expected to be heavy. Commercial airlines have added flights and the Las Vegas airport reported Wednesday it handled a record 57.6 million passengers in 2023. That’s an average of nearly 160,000 people per day.
COULD SWIFT MAKE IT TO THE GAME?
The last of four scheduled Tokyo shows of Swift’s Eras Tour is on Feb. 10. Due to time zone differences, if she flies out at midnight, it will be 7 a.m. Saturday in Las Vegas.
A spokesperson for Swift didn’t respond Thursday to questions about whether Swift plans to attend the Super Bowl, has made travel arrangements, or where her pilots could park a plane.
Swift has more than one private jet, including a Dassault Falcon 900 that can typically seat at least 12 people and fly at up to 590 mph (950 kph).
Barring delays, if Swift’s flight to Las Vegas takes 11 or 12 hours, she could arrive in Las Vegas the day before the game after crossing nine time zones and the international date line.
WHY IS AIRCRAFT PARKING SO SCARCE?
There aren’t as many airports around Las Vegas as there are around Glendale, Arizona, where the Super Bowl was played last year. The WM Phoenix Open golf tournament also was played during Super Bowl week in 2023. Breitenfeldt at the FAA said all 1,100 aircraft parking pads in the Phoenix area were claimed.
The NFL doesn’t handle aircraft reservations, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said, but it does coordinate with the FAA, National Business Aviation Association, host city airport authorities and commercial private aircraft service companies during Super Bowl events. McCarthy said the league doesn’t comment on individual requests.
McCarthy noted that players and fans of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf league also will be in Las Vegas for a tournament on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Las Vegas Country Club before the football game Sunday at the 60,000-seat Allegiant Stadium.
CAN PLANES PARK ELSEWHERE?
There might still be slots available for what Hayes and Breitenfeldt termed “drop-and-go” flights. That’s where pilots leave passengers and then fly to another airport to park.
Airports within 100 miles (161 kilometers) of Las Vegas include Mesquite Municipal Airport in Nevada and Laughlin-Bullhead International Airport in Arizona. Jean Sport Aviation Center, an airstrip visible from Interstate 15 that has no control tower, lies south of Las Vegas.
The closest large California airports are Ontario International, San Bernardino International, Palm Springs International and Palmdale Regional, which are each less than 200 miles (322 kilometers) away.
Los Angeles International, John Wayne International near Santa Ana, Long Beach International and Hollywood/Burbank airports are each within 250 miles (402 kilometers) from Las Vegas. Phoenix is about 255 miles (410 kilometers).
WHAT DOES IT COST TO PARK?
It might be cheaper for aircraft owners to park a multi-million dollar jet for the Super Bowl than an automobile owner attending the game, where seat tickets were selling at upwards of $8,000 apiece.
Hayes said aircraft parking fees during Super Bowl weekend at Harry Reid International were unchanged from the standard rate. That’s $20 to $150 a day, depending on the size of the plane.
Meanwhile, just one MGM Resorts International casino near the stadium, Mandalay Bay, was still offering game day garage parking reservations on Thursday, at $100. The company’s nearby Luxor and Excalibur had nothing available.
veryGood! (317)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Feds charge arms dealers with smuggling grenade launchers, ammo from US to Iraq and Sudan
- Confused about the cost of going to college? Join the club.
- We Found Cute Kate Spade Mother’s Day Gifts That Will Instantly Make You the Favorite—and They're On Sale
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Melissa Gilbert and stars from 'Little House on the Prairie' reunite. See them now.
- Officer shot before returning fire and killing driver in Albany, New York, police chief says
- Four people shot -- one fatally -- in the Bronx by shooters on scooters
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Beware the cicada killer: 2024 broods will need to watch out for this murderous wasp
Ranking
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Police confirm Missouri officer fired fatal shot that killed man who allegedly shot another man
- Boeing in the spotlight as Congress calls a whistleblower to testify about defects in planes
- How a Tiny Inland Shorebird Could Help Save the Great Salt Lake
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Brock Purdy recalls story of saving a reporter while shooting a John Deere commercial
- How a Tiny Inland Shorebird Could Help Save the Great Salt Lake
- Virginia lawmakers set to take up Youngkin’s proposed amendments, vetoes in reconvened session
Recommendation
Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
A storm dumps record rain across the desert nation of UAE and floods the Dubai airport
A vehicle backfiring startled a circus elephant into a Montana street. She still performed Tuesday
Alaska Airlines briefly grounds flights due to technical issue
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Zion Williamson shines in postseason debut, but leg injury leaves status in question
Bond denied for 4 ‘God’s Misfits’ defendants in the killing of 2 Kansas women
New York’s high court hears case on abortion insurance coverage