Private Jet Travel for Sports Fans: Tips for Flying to Major Events

Taylor Swift is a social media juggernaut. In addition to the hundreds of millions of followers of her official accounts on platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X, there are countless other accounts, pages and discussion groups devoted to all things Swiftie. Her private jet usage is no exception – thanks to flight tracking technology, fans and haters alike can see where and when the musician travels on her Dassault Falcon 900 and Falcon 7X.

Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes react during a game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

2023 was a busy time for the singer, with her Eras tour requiring flights around the world. However, late in the year, a new destination popped up – Kansas City, Missouri. Shortly after Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs NFL team, mentioned Swift on his podcast, they began dating, setting off a media frenzy. Suddenly, the music star was also a fixture in sports media, attending Chiefs games at home and on the road.

Private jet travel has made it possible for one of the world’s biggest stars to fit in sporting events with tour performances, award shows, appearances and countless other demands. However, it’s not just the Taylor Swifts of the world who can take advantage of private jet travel to sporting events – those more likely to buy her albums (or refuse to do so) can benefit as well. Multiple options exist for those looking to avoid the hassle of commercial flights or long drives in support of their teams. If this sounds appealing to you, read on.

This Is What You Came For

While there are no hard numbers on trends in private jet travel for sporting events, we know it has risen in general over the last half-decade. The number of flights in business aircraft worldwide was almost 15 percent higher at the end of 2023 than at the end of 2019, as per business aviation data firm WingX. U.S. activity was roughly 17 percent higher over the same time period.

Those in the industry say that private jet travel for sporting events hasn’t been immune to the overall trends. The advantages of private jet travel multiply for major sporting events, which usually bring more travelers, longer TSA lines and more crowded aircraft for those flying commercial.

In addition to more people flying private in general, marketing efforts have also boosted demand for certain sports that were lower profile in the past, according to Marcela White, co-founder of charter operator Tavaero Jet Charter in Houston, Texas (KHOU).

“We’ve seen a lot more interest in Formula One in the last five years than we have before,” White mentioned, referring to the Circuit of the Americas Circuit of the Americas Formula One racetrack in Austin, Texas. “They have capitalized on a marketing process that has pulled people into Formula One. People really like it.”

Super Bowl LVIII logo and an oversized replica of the Vince Lombardi Trophy on the Las Vegas Strip in front of Caesars Palace on February 03, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The game will be played on February 11, 2024, between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

It’s Time to Go

Sporting events can pose one major problem in terms of private jet travel – short notice. While the date and location of Super Bowl LVIII (Las Vegas, Nevada; February 11, 2024) were set years in advance, the teams playing weren’t known until two weeks prior. Fans of the University of Washington and the University of Michigan had about a week’s notice of their appearance in the College Football Playoff game in Houston, Texas in January 2024. Sites for the NBA Finals, the World Series and the Stanley Cup are set by whichever teams make it that far.

“Sporting events present a little more of an unusual challenge in that you don’t know if you’re going to go until the very end, because you don’t know if your team is going to make it,” White cautions. “It’s not a given that you’ll get parking permission overnight at a specific airport.”

Football fans hoping for a last-minute jaunt to Super Bowl LVIII may find that out the hard way. According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, as of the end of January, only a limited number of landing slots were left at Henderson Executive Airport and North Las Vegas Airport for February 11.

And charter flight prep doesn’t just involve finding a plane – you also must get to and from the airport, and possibly find a place to stay. White says the key to fighting your way through the crowds clamoring for a flight is to get in touch with your charter contact ASAP. “Even if you don’t know if your team is going to make it, you want to let your operator know, so they can reserve those spots,” she says. “You have to get past any superstition you might have.”

Gold Rush

While flying private is typically not a low-cost endeavor, chartering a flight for a big game is especially not the time to pinch pennies if you want the best experience. White notes that business airports close to major sporting events often charge a “special events fee” – and passengers willing to pay that fee upfront even before their teams have qualified will have an edge.

“In some cases, you’re going to get charged that fee the minute you reserve those spots,” she says. “It often ranges from $2,000 to $7,000…and if you cancel, you’re out that expenditure.”

However, there is one way to lower the cost of private jet travel to see your favorite team – bring along more fans. Loved ones looking to root with – or against – you can make the price tag for flying private for sports more manageable. “If you grab four of your closest friends and split things among five people, suddenly it’s looking more like the cost of a first-class trip for each person,” White says.

At times, going even bigger may be the best solution. For large sporting events in Europe and Asia such as the Euro Cup 2024 or the World Cup, tour operators often work with charter brokers or operators to arrange charter flights with large aircraft to transport fans together. While you may not have the same type of personally tailored experience as with a smaller private jet, you can still travel at optimum times for your games…and with a lower individual expenditure than a traditional private jet would require.

“The plane arrives in the morning and departs after the game,” says Yiannis Christodoulides, director at charter broker Zela Jet. “Maybe people have jobs or children or want to cut down on the cost of hotels. People can go to work the next day.”

You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home

While the convenience of private jets is especially appealing when traveling for sports, frequent flyers caution that perfection should not be expected. Atlanta-based interior designer Liz Shults and her family have flown private for more than 30 years, both with a NetJets membership and the occasional charter flight, and their trips to sporting events have sometimes required a dose of patience and good humor.

“With the Super Bowl, people want to fly in, go to the game, and then turn around and leave, so it’s a mess,” Shults recounts. “A few years ago, my husband and his friends left the game early in order to get back on the jet before everybody else, but they still ended up sitting on the runway for a couple of hours waiting to take off. But – they had drinks, and they could hang out, so no complaints.”

Shults keeps safety in mind when she flies private, whether for work or for fun. “A lot of people think it’s all rainbows and gummy bears. You can’t control the weather; you can still have mechanical problems,” she points out. “I really like that they won’t take a chance of going in if there’s a safety issue. With travel in general, you have to be patient.”

In general, the more flexible you’re willing to be, the better time you’ll have flying private for big games, whether it be at a slightly different time or to a different airport. As an example, White mentions that private jet travelers to Houston would likely have an easier trip into Ellington Airport, instead of the larger William P. Hobby Airport.

“Air Traffic Control would love to have a majority of business aircraft traffic at Ellington (KEFD), because there are no commercial aircraft there,” she says. “It’s only 10 minutes further from downtown than Hobby, and the fuel pricing is better.”

Timeless

Certain sporting events have details set well in advance. For example, the Masters Golf Tournament is always held in Augusta, Georgia, and dates are determined five years out (the 2028 Masters will take place April 6-9). The Kentucky Derby is consistently held on the first Saturday in May in Louisville, Kentucky. While these events can seem easier to plan than a World Series or a college football bowl game, they offer some additional complexities that potential participants will want to keep in mind.

Typically, attendees aren’t looking to fly in and out quickly, whether due to multi-day matches, social events or both. Local lodgings fill up fast – those looking to book last minute may be out of luck. “With the Kentucky Derby, we do have to plan way ahead because of the hotel rooms, even though we won’t book our flight until a couple of weeks out,” Shults explains.

However, flying private does allow for less stress over baggage limits. “When you go to the Derby, you’re bringing lots of hats,” Shults says. Private jets help keep those hats from getting squeezed under a seat, or jammed in an overhead compartment, or squished in a cargo hold.

Wildest Dreams

With a win against the Baltimore Ravens on January 28, the Chiefs created a slight challenge for Taylor Swift – her concert in Tokyo on February 10 will take place one day and halfway around the world from the Super Bowl, with her next tour stop in Melbourne, Australia on February 16. However, Tokyo’s Haneda Airport is about a half-hour away from the Tokyo Dome, and Swift’s Falcon 7X has enough range to travel from Tokyo to Las Vegas or nearby, as per The Athletic, NFL Media and other sports media outlets. Thanks to the change in time zones between Japan and Nevada, the Swift experience may make it to the Big Game after all.

For most private jet travelers, fortunately, figuring out the logistics for jaunts to sporting events isn’t quite as complicated. If you’re mulling over whether to take the plunge to fly private, sports may provide a great opportunity. “The time savings is huge. You can leave straight after the event and come back home,” White points out. “It may cost a bit more, but the benefit is exponentially better.”