PHOENIX –
Former NFL player Jim Bob Morris is heading to the Super Bowl in Phoenix from Bloomington, Illinois, in a set of newly refurbished wheels. His car has new paint, new seats and even a new bathroom.
Morris, who has played for the Green Bay Packers, Houston Oilers and even briefly worked for the Kansas City Chiefs, is the CEO of several companies including Morris Packaging and El Bandido Yankee tequila. He and seven other executives will arrive at Scottsdale Airport on Tuesday in the company’s Cessna Citation Excel. Midsize jets have seats that recline far enough for comfortable sleep. There are desks and internet so people can pull out laptops and mobile phones to work. Morris plans to be a flight attendant and serve people.
“I know where everything is,” Morris said, chuckling. “I know where the vodka is. I know where El Bandido is. We really serve other souls than just El Bandido – if someone has the guts to order.”
Private jets are the reason why every Super Bowl has super heavy air traffic. Officials expect more than 1,000 additional planes to land at eight Phoenix metropolitan airports and more this week for the Philadelphia Eagles captain’s game as well as the Phoenix Open, which closes. on the same day. Many of them will carry artists, sports figures and corporate figures who don’t have to face long lines of security or cramped coach seats. Instead, they would sit and eat filet mignon. Even with long lines expected for planes to depart after the game and high airport fees, some say nothing can match convenience.
According to the FAA, more than 4,000 additional takeoffs and landings and nearly 1,100 planes parked at Phoenix-area airports are scheduled to take place during Super Bowl week. Heather Shelbrack, an airport spokeswoman, said more than 1,000 more takeoffs and landings are expected at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport over the weekend. Compare that to February 2022 when there were almost 2,000 airline operations in the month.
Airport spokeswoman Sarah Ferrara said Scottsdale airport, closest to the Phoenix Open venue, is expected to see a large turnout. She did not estimate how many more planes would be available this week. But in 2015 — when Phoenix last hosted the Super Bowl — there were 1,189 activities over the weekend.
All bookings for arrival and departure times are handled through fixed facility operators at the airports. It is imperative that travelers do not miss their reserved time as there are many flights that are already out of schedule. And at times of high traffic like right after a game, take-off fees for private jets can be outrageously high. That’s why Morris plans to leave early next week rather than get caught up in the “air show” of the constant Sunday and Monday departures.
Morris played in the NFL in the 80s and actually started as a free agent with the Captain but was released due to injury. But he didn’t come just to cheer them on. He is also attending two dozen events for El Bandido for the Super Bowl and Phoenix Open. Company ambassadors include former Chiefs players Bill Maas and Dino Hackett. Nick Lowery, former Chiefs spotter. are minority owners.
Private flying is how Morris usually does business. In the past year alone, he’s logged more than 400 hours of travel on one of his company’s three planes.
“People think it’s sexy and there’s some element of it that might be,” Morris said. “So my deal is about compression time.”
For some travelers, luxury and privilege are the appeal. Ion Jets, a brokerage that acts as an agent for members looking for private flights, received more than 175 requests for the Super Bowl weekend. CEO Todd Spitzer said they don’t just stop at booking airline tickets.
For example, a longtime customer and current NFL player will be flying on a Gulf Jet with seven family members. Since his birthday is around that time, his favorite dishes – filet mignon and lobster tail – will be served. They even booked the family a home in the posh Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley with a private chef.
Ion does not own or operate any aircraft. Spitzer says it works with a network of 5,000 planes globally.
“If someone owns an aircraft and it’s likely to be leased, we keep it busy and we help aircraft owners offset their cost of ownership,” says Spitzer. “It’s not just the flight. From ground transportation, hotels, food services, we are currently staffing Shaq’s Fun House … that is the concierge from the ground to the plane. .”
Since the pandemic, Spitzer has noticed more interest in private aviation. It may be due to fear of COVID-19 at first. But now, they’re fueled by other issues like the wave of cancellations that hit Southwest Airlines in December.
“We’ve seen a big shift in why people fly privately. Before, it was mostly for ease and convenience,” Spitzer said. “And it still is, but it’s really become more necessary now.”
Private jets have come under greater scrutiny in recent months by climate change advocates following a widely published informal study of celebrity travel. According to Sonja Klinsky, an associate professor at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability, one reason it’s so worrisome is that airplanes can produce higher emissions of greenhouse gases, which stay in the air for hundreds of years. On a private jet, where there are fewer people, the emissions per person will be higher.
So the growing demand for private aviation is “exactly the wrong trend if we’re worried about climate change.”
Klinsky said: “If we have limited atmospheric space, what kind of activities are we as a society willing to use our limited emissions for? That’s a complex question. and very important”.
