USA TODAY International Edition
The great Super Bowl travel rush has begun
South Florida airports have been in pregame mode long before the final matchup was set. Here’s what passengers can expect.
Long before the final matchup was set for Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, South Florida airports and security officials were making game plans for dealing with record- setting numbers of arriving and departing fans. ❚ Both Fort Lauderdale- Hollywood International Airport ( FLL) and Miami International Airport ( MIA) are less than 20 miles away from the stadium. ❚ And the two airports, the Transportation Security Administration and other agencies are readying for the travel rush.
From new signage to memorabilia that celebrates the winning team right after the game, here’s what we know that might help flyers heading to and from Super Bowl LIV.
FLL spruces up for fans
At FLL, which is about 18 miles north of the stadium, signage for the big game adorns doors, walls, columns and baggage areas.
“There won’t be a place on the airport where you won’t see some reference to the Super Bowl,” said airport spokesman Greg Meyer.
To prepare for sports fans, many of whom may be visiting the airport and the area for the first time, the Fort Lauderdale airport has put 160 live plants throughout the terminals and artificial greenery in the restrooms. Teams are polishing terrazzo floors, shampooing carpets, pressure cleaning sidewalks, scouring restrooms and detailing shuttles.
“We do much of this cleaning normally,” said Meyer, “but doing it just prior to the game will make sure we look our best.”
Before and after the Super Bowl, FLL will have extra staff on duty and more than 60 volunteers on site to help guests navigate the airport.
Airport concessionaires are doing their part, too, with extended hours and plenty of official team and game gear for sale, including winning team memorabilia.
Miami airport expecting record number of travelers
“Miami International Airport is doing much the same,” said airport spokesman Greg Chin.
The Miami airport, about 16 miles south of Hard Rock Stadium, expects above- average passenger traffic on the three days prior to and the day after Super Bowl Sunday. On Monday, Feb. 3, about 90,000 passengers are projected to depart MIA, which would be a single- day record for departures at the airport.
In addition to a pregame spruceup, the airport is adding features.
Through Super Bowl Sunday, MIA’s public address system will play rotating welcoming messages from three former All- Pros: Miami Dolphins legends Dan Marino, Nat Moore and Jason Taylor.
Through the end of February, travelers can view Duane Hanson’s hyperrealist sculpture “Football
Player” on the D Concourse, between gates D47 and D48.
And through the end of February, the Wolfson Moving Images exhibition on Concourse F is featuring archive video from past Miami Super Bowls and Miami Dolphins history on a set of oldstyle flight monitors.
Both airports also have detailed airport navigation information, arrival and departure tips, as well as important alerts about human trafficking, on the “Countdown to Takeoff Playbook” posted on their respective websites.
And passengers arriving before the Super Bowl on Thursday and Friday at Palm Beach International Airport ( PBI), 58 miles from Hard Rock Stadium, will be greeted with special welcoming messages as well as giveaway and promotional items in the Bag Claim level.
Concessionaires at PBI are adding in the sports- themed memorabilia, as well.
TSA gearing up for the game
During the Super Bowl week, TSA, local and county police departments, Customs and Border Protection, and other agencies will add teams and show a high- visibility presence at all area airports.
To help with the crush of fans leaving the Monday after the Super Bowl, some security checkpoints will open early at both FLL and MIA.
Additional checkpoints will stay open 24 hours.
While not all security precautions being taken can be shared, according to TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz, there will be six extra canine teams in Fort Lauderdale, additional support from Federal Air Marshals and the Broward Country Sheriff ’ s office, and 40 extra Transportation Security Officers on duty to help at checkpoints and baggage areas.
Koshetz says 10 additional TSA canine teams will join the 11 already at the Miami airport, and there will be 60 additional TSA officers to keep additional checkpoint lanes open on throughout the day.
Follow the countdown plan
The TSA, the NFL, hospitality organizations and the airports are encouraging passengers who are heading home after the game to follow the “5- 4- 3- 2- 1” plan.
The campaign encourages travelers to do the following:
❚ 5 hours before departure flight time: Check out of hotels
❚ 4 hours before: Return rental cars
❚ 3 hours before: Check in and check bags at airline ticket counters
❚ 2 hours before: Go through security
❚ 1 hour before: Be at the gate For security reasons, TSA is also asking Super Bowl travelers heading home after the big game to pack their commemorative programs in carry- ons, not in checked bags.
In previous years, the composition and thickness of these programs prevented TSA’s machines and human scanners from seeing beneath the booklets in checked bags, requiring those bags to alarm and be opened.