When Tampa hosted its last Super Bowl in 2001, many well-heeled New York Giants fans who flew into town on corporate jets couldn't wait to get away fast enough, even before the end of the game that the Baltimore Ravens dominated by a score of 34-7.
That created a massive, early traffic jam in the skies around Tampa International Airport, one unlikely to be repeated for Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, regardless of the outcome.
Two factors will differentiate Super Bowl XLIII from Super Bowl XXXV for aviation officials, pilots and travelers alike.
One is that security plans in the post 9/11 era have changed dramatically, restricting airspace in various segments and times around Raymond James Stadium, although commercial aviation fights will not be affected.
The second is that the nation's economy is likely to take a toll on corporate aircraft visitors, maybe as much as 50 percent, although it's too soon to tell, local aviation officials said.
Despite a slowdown in corporate flights, Tampa International, Tampa Executive Airport and St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport will each close a runway to park the overflow traffic, with as many as 200 or more general aviation aircraft flying into the Hillsborough County airports and at least 130 in Pinellas, officials said.
However, airlines have added flights and are using larger aircraft over Super Bowl weekend. So Monday will be the busiest day of the year for the terminal at Tampa International, airport director Louis Miller said, with 242 or 8 percent more departing flights and 34,816 or 16.75 percent more outbound seats compared with schedules on Feb. 9.
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