Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Ready for Super Bowl 2015

The Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is ready for Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1.

The Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is ready for Super Bowl XLIX.

According to USA TODAY’s (via AZCentral.com) Harriet Baskas, the airport is expecting a turnout of around 180,000 passengers on Feb. 2, the day after the big game. This is roughly a 60 percent increase from the average of 110,000 it serves on a daily basis. 

The Phoenix area has already hosted two previous Super Bowls in 1996 and 2008. Airport spokeswoman Julie Rodriguez told Baskas,”The airport is working with the NFL, the Super Bowl Host Committee, and other partners to make sure special operational plans and additional staff are in place. 

Baskas stresses Sky Harbor and other adjacent airports (including Phoenix Deer Valley and Phoenix Goodyear) are organizing charter flights and more than 1,000 private and business jets aside from the regular commercial flights. 

Sky Harbor’s restaurants will increase their hours and its taxis will go up by 50 percent in number in order to accommodate the deluge of Super Bowl XLIX visitors, per Baskas. 

The USA TODAY report also says the number of customer service staff will increase in anticipation of the passenger turnout. Baskas points out “PHX will have about 200 Super Bowl volunteers on hand to answer questions” in addition to 400 volunteer “navigators.”

As far as security preparations are concerned, Rodriguez told Baskas that Sky Harbor is coordinating with the TSA and the Phoenix Police Department to make sure passengers and other civilians within the airport premises are protected. The airport will also deploy its own firefighters who will patrol the terminals on bikes in the aftermath of Super Bowl XLIX.

In other NFL news, Los Angeles could have its very own football team again by 2016. ESPN LA’s Arash Markazi reported on Jan. 5 that St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke is currently working with his contacts in Los Angeles on building an NFL stadium on a 60-acre parcel of land he purchased in Inglewood, Ca. a year ago. 

Markazi says Kroenke is in close touch with the Stockbridge Capital Group, the owner of the 298-acre Hollywood Park site adjacent to the land belonging to the Rams owner. If all goes well, construction of the new stadium should commence by the end of 2015.

Is @PHXSkyHarbor ready for the @SuperBowl? http://t.co/oZjix0TmlD via @usatodaytravel pic.twitter.com/mLuL5i6hWs— Jessica Longly – CDW (@CDW_Jessica) January 5, 2015

Inglewood mayor James T. Butts, Jr. is pleased with the project’s progress, per ESPN L.A. He said,”The project is going forward. We’re thrilled in the city of Inglewood. Here we are in the position to build that field of dreams and hope that they’ll come.”

Markazi stresses the new stadium will boast of an 80,000-fan capacity. It will also have a 6,000-seat performance venue.

I4U News will again bring you full coverage of the Super Bowl 2015 Ads. Super Bowl 2015 will take place on February 1, 2015 in Arizona. The Super Bowl XLIX game will be played in the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. NBC is broadcasting Super Bowl 2015. The Super Bowl 2015 Halftime Show will be performed by Katy Perry. The constantly updatedSuper Bowl Ads List is tracking all Super Bowl 2015 ads.