Jan. 15--Tony Iannelli would never betray his beloved Philadelphia Eagles, but the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority chairman just might be wearing a Denver Broncos jersey Sunday.
No, Iannelli hasn't grown fond of the way Peyton Manning barks "Omaha" as he stands behind center, this infatuation is strictly about money.
Struggling Lehigh Valley International Airport is hoping to cash in on a glut of jet-setters flying into the region for Super Bowl XLVIII. And if the New England Patriots beat the Broncos to advance to the big game, their Boston-area fan base might be able to get to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., by bus, limousine or Amtrak.
None of that helps LVIA collect landing fees or sell jet fuel to rich out-of-town football fans.
"I might have to go out and buy myself a Peyton Manning jersey and a Broncos bumper sticker," Iannelli said. "Make that a Broncos magnet -- I'm going to want to take it off after the game."
LVIA last week filed a plan with the Federal Aviation Administration to park as many as 100 Super Bowl flights at the airport. It won't be clear how many additional planes -- if any -- the airport will get until Super Bowl weekend, Feb. 1-2, when pilots file their flight plans. But it's clear that New Jersey airports will not be able to handle what the FAA estimates will be as many as 1,200 private and charter aircrafts bringing fans in for the game.
What LVIA officials are really rooting for is maximum air traffic congestion, so that the overflow will spill all the way into eastern Pennsylvania, where LVIA will be waiting with limo service and plenty of airfield space.
Fans from San Francisco or Seattle, who are meeting in the NFC championship game, will feed that, but to truly maximize the MetLife air traffic mayhem, a win by Denver in the AFC Championship is needed, LVIA Executive Director Charles Everett Jr. said.
The closest airfield to the game is Teterboro Airport, 3 miles from MetLife Stadium, where Super Bowl kickoff is 6:25 p.m. Feb. 2. But Teterboro's space for more than 500 small planes is already booked.
That means hundreds of planes will be diverted to other airports such as Essex County, 12 miles away, and Morristown Municipal, 30 miles to the west, and maybe even to Stewart International Airport, 64 miles north, near Newburgh, N.Y.
Essex is preparing for as many as 150 planes, but it's more likely only able to handle 100, airport manager Tom Gomez said.
"We're planning to park them everywhere, including our cross-wind runway, if we have to," Gomez said. "Maybe we'll get 150 in, but only if they're mostly small planes. If we get a few bigger ones, then we're talking more like 100."
Next on deck is LVIA, roughly 80 miles west for those looking to avoid New York airspace so congested that the FAA has issued Super Bowl week flight restrictions.
Few airports need the money more than LVIA, which is trying to weather a period of declining passenger traffic even as it tries to pay off the $11 million left on a $26 million court judgment against it for seizing a developer's property in the mid-1990s.
Whatever revenue Super Bowl traffic brings will not cure LVIA's problems, but Everett said every little bit helps and the airport could net $200 to $2,000 per plane, depending on how much fuel pilots buy at the airport, how much their plane and cargo weigh, and how long they stay.
"Whatever it is, we'll take it," Everett said. "We'll prepare for 100 and take what we can get. We know it's probably going to be something less than that."
According to FAA spokesman Jim Peters, LVIA's best chance at filling up its field probably comes from planes using LVIA as a satellite lot for game week. Rather than simply flying into LVIA and catching a limo or bus to the game, many pilots will schedule a "drop and go" at Teterboro, Essex or Morristown -- even if there's no room to park there.
"They'll touch down, drop people off and take off again to find an airport where they can wait until they go back to pick them up again," Peters said. "Sort of like cab service."
So, with the Eagles off to play golf, if you're interested in seeing the home team win, you might want to add a little orange and royal blue to the wardrobe.
"Go Broncos," Everett said.
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