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Super Bowl Fans Begin Stream Into Tampa Airport

News Channel 8 photo by DAVID KRAUT

Among the fans streaming in for the Super Bowl are Paul Cook, left, who from Phoenix and flew in today to cheer on the Cardinals, and Mike Marks, who is from Ohio but is a huge Steelers fan.

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By KATIE CORONADO | News Channel 8

Published: January 30, 2009

TAMPA - Steelers and Cardinals fans are beginning to arrive at Tampa International Airport for Super Bowl weekend, to the tune of about 23,000 people per day this weekend.

Airport officials say airlines had to add flights to accommodate incoming passengers. Today, most of the extra flights are from Pittsburgh.

Arriving fans received a warm welcome with live bands and bead-giving volunteers from the Super Bowl Host committee.

Despite the tough economy, fans say they figured out a way to make it to the big game.

Steelers fan Michael Fitzgerald arrived before noon today from Ohio in a group of six other people.

"We all have free lodging. As soon as the Steelers won the championship, we booked flights," he said. "We found them round-trip, nonstop for $218."

Many fans are taking any flight they can find to get here.

Paul Cook, a diehard Cardinals fan, flew from Phoenix to Newark and then to Tampa.

"That was the only route available at the time," Cook said.

Cook canceled a Super Bowl party at his Arizona house when he decided four days ago that he would come to Tampa.

"My brother said, 'Hey I got another ticket, are you going?' Yeah, I'm going," he said.

Airport officials say they've blocked off the east-west runway, the smallest of the three, to accommodate about 300 corporate planes that will arrive this weekend.

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