Atlanta FBOs Emerge Victorious from Super Bowl

The annual event is estimated to have brought more than 1,000 business jets to the Atlanta area for Super Bowl LIII and its associated festivities.

Some 140 business aircraft made an appearance on the ramp at Epps Aviation for the Super Bowl. (Photo: Steve Thornton the-skys.com)

By James Wynbrandt • Contributor - Business Aviation

February 6, 2019

The Super Bowl kicked off early and went into overtime for FBOs at Atlanta-area airports, requiring ramp reservations and slots for private aircraft during the Super Bowl TFR, January 29 through February 5. FBOs at the five favorites going into the big game—Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK), Fulton County Airport-Brown Field (FTY), Cobb County International Airport-McCollum Field (RYY), and Gwinnett County Airport-Briscoe Field (LZU)—racked up impressive stats, together handling more than 1,500 aircraft while hosting lavish parties and promotions. Double coverage was provided by support staff and equipment brought in from allied facilities around the country. In the end, the nine FBOs emerged victorious, though there were some complaints related to operators who reserved multiple slots.

“We spent months and months putting the plan in place, and things stuck to plan,” said Shane Dale, FBO services manager at PDK’s Epps Aviation, the morning after the TFR ended. Epps handled more than 140 of the aircraft total. “Everything just worked like clockwork,” Dale said.

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