You're receiving this edition of the HangarNetwork eNewsletter a week ahead of its normal first Wednesday of the month. This is intentional because we wanted to pass along important information for those planning to fly to the South Florida region during the days surrounding this coming Super Bowl weekend for any reason, whether or not you will be attending the big finale of the NFL season.
We will also discuss how FBOs at the airports surrounding the stadium have prepared for the huge volume of aircraft and passengers anticipated for such a large special event.
In addition, the FAA, together with stakeholders throughout South Florida, have published a webpage with information regarding airspace, airports, and special procedures to safely and securely accommodate the high number of flights into and out of the area. These are summarized in the sidebar to the right, with links to the FAA webpages where air traffic management and security procedures are described in detail (1, 2). The FAA has also published a Flight Advisory, available in downloadable pdf format (3).
There are seven airports in the area surrounding the Hard Rock Stadium where the game will be played. They are, from south to north: Miami Executive (TMB), Miami International (MIA), Miami-Opa Locka Executive (OPF), Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL), Boca Raton (BCT), Palm Beach International (PBI), and North Palm Beach County General Aviation (F45).
The airports can be seen in the graphic above, depicting their locations relative to the venue. OPF is closest, just a 15-minute drive to Hard Rock, while F45 is much further at 90 minutes. A larger version of the graphic is viewable on the Signature website (4) and of course, the times shown are approximate depending on traffic.
If you're wondering why the graphic shows only Signature Flight Support locations: certainly there are other FBOs at most of the airports, but Signature is the only one with bases at all of them. FBO services are also available from Atlantic Aviation at PBI, BCT, and OPF; Sheltair, jetscape, and National Jets at FLL; Fontainebleau at OPF; and Reliance Aviation and International Flight Center at TMB.
Since Signature operates a base at each airport in proximity to the special event and is one of our premier listing accounts for hangar and office spaces, we feature them in this article. There is a dedicated page on their website covering the seven airports and the special procedures at each (4). In addition, we had a very interesting conversation with Mr. Isaac Lee, one of Signature's Area Managers who oversees operations at MIA, OPF, FLL, and TMB, and who provided much of the information and insight we share here (5).
Planning the ground services operations for an event the magnitude of the Super Bowl falls into several categories: Personnel, equipment, and supplies. Because the airports span the size range from Class B to Class D, the specific needs of the FBOs at each airport will vary, and for that reason we will only cover the types of preparations without getting into exact numbers.
From the standpoint of flight operations, participating airports have instituted a reservation program to facilitate ground services. This is in effect from January 29 to February 4 at all the airports shown above except F45. Pilots are advised to contact their destination FBO for reservations and additional information. Signature and other FBOs will require reservations for specific arrival and departure slot times between January 27 and February 4. Slot intervals range from 3 - 5 minutes, and pilots/operators should make those reservations as well in advance as possible.
Mr. Lee indicated that many arriving aircraft will be drop-and-goes, where passengers deplane and the aircraft return later for pickup. For aircraft staying longer, Mr. Lee strongly recommends that if refueling will be needed, arrange for fuel service early in your stay rather than waiting until later near your departure time to avoid delays.
It bears repeating that pilots should be aware of the FAA Special Procedures for arrivals, departures, and TFRs; see the sidebar to the right for more information.
Obviously, more personnel are needed to perform the typical FBO services and support during high-demand periods. These include customer-facing roles such as concierges, line service technicians, and customer service representatives, as well as back-of-the-house IT and HR support staff. Due to their large network, Signature can avoid temporary or new hires by leveraging their ability to bring in employees who normally work at other locations. Such temporary reassignments for special events are often granted to employees with more seniority or better performance records and are considered a reward for service and excellence.
A logistical challenge lies in finding the physical space to store the additional equipment brought in to service more aircraft and passengers. These include ground support equipment such as tugs, lav/water carts, and GPUs. For catering, refrigerated and non-refrigerated trucks are needed to store perishable foodstuffs and supplies such as dishes, linens, condiments, and so on.
It's no surprise that a big one is coffee pots - many extra coffee pots are needed to fulfill the almost non-stop demand for fresh coffee! Catering is often set up inside a hangar or in tents out on the ramp.
Which brings us to consumables including, in no particular order - perishable foods for catering, water, ice, and amenities typically on hand in the terminal such as popcorn, cookies, snacks, beverages, and - again - coffee! Face it - an FBO simply cannot run out of coffee. Extra fuel deliveries are ordered daily, and lav/water carts also require servicing daily if not more frequently. Consumables are probably the most difficult to project in terms of amounts, but these receive careful analysis and planning because over- or under-estimation can lead to waste or delays in service.
Mr. Lee told us he's been in FBO operations for 25 years and has experienced numerous Super Bowls, so we asked him to compare thoughts about this year with some of those in the past. He immediately talked about the one that took place in New Orleans in 2013.
It turns out that 27 of the 53 Super Bowls played so far have been played in three cities: New Orleans (10), the Greater Miami area (also 10), and the Greater Los Angeles area (7). Whereas the South Florida area has 7 airports as we've discussed above, New Orleans has only two - Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY) and Lakefront (NEW). Thus, roughly the same amount of aircraft and passengers converged into two airports and a much smaller geographic area. During Super Bowl week in New Orleans the airports had approximately 400 aircraft on their ramps. That's a lot of aircraft! Mr. Lee said he expects about 200 aircraft at the airports closest to the stadium, with somewhat less at the more distant airports. Quite a big difference!
Most of what we described above is likely true for all FBOs in the area although we do recommend contacting your desired FBO to confirm the availability of services and reservations.
If you're planning to fly to South Florida this weekend for any purpose, please make yourself aware of ALL the special procedures and NOTAMs that will be in place. And - have a great time!
Mike Straka, PhD
HN Contributing Author & Technical Support
Executive Director, Colorado Aviation Business Ass'n
Sources:
1. Special Events - Super Bowl LIV. Federal Aviation Administration website. https://superbowl.faa.gov/
2. Super Bowl Special Air Traffic Procedures. Federal Aviation Administration website. https://superbowl.faa.gov/special_air_traffic_procedures/
3. FAA Super Bowl Flight Advisory. FAA website. https://superbowl.faa.gov/media/54/super-bowl-flight-advisory.pdf
4. Football In Miami. Signature Flight Support website. https://www.signatureflight.com/events/miami-football-finale
5. Notes from a personal conversation with Mr. Isaac Lee, Signature Flight Support Area General Manager of MIA, OPF, FLL, TMB. Mike Straka and David Vaughan. January 21, 2020.
