Super Bowl Monday was Phoenix airport's busiest day ever. Here's how many people flew

The Phoenix airport set a record for its busiest day ever on Monday, Feb. 13 — Super Bowl Monday — a day that exceeded its own expectations.

More than 200,000 passengers traveled through Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport that day, as visitors who were in metro Phoenix for Super Bowl 2023 and the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale headed home. That number bested the previous high set on Feb. 2, 2015, the day after the last Super Bowl in Arizona, when 175,000 passengers used the airport.

Airport staff saw 20,000 more passengers than they initially forecast for Feb. 13, and 80,000 more passengers greater than an average day.

"Super Bowl (57) set records across the city of Phoenix, and that could not be more evident than at our airport," Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in a statement. "These numbers speak to the appeal of Phoenix and Arizona as a destination for high caliber events. Our airport is our front door, and I couldn’t be more proud of the work that went in to preparing for these record-breaking numbers."

The day after:Here's how things went on Super Bowl Monday at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

The scene at the Phoenix airport on Super Bowl Monday

When The Arizona Republic visited Sky Harbor on Feb. 13, the airport appeared busier than usual, evidenced by heavy traffic on Sky Harbor Boulevard leading to the terminals, long lines at some airlines' ticketing and bag check counters, and a security line in Terminal 4 that at one point stretched past a row of storefronts on the concourse.

Yet, things flowed manageably. Sky Harbor staff never recorded a security wait time longer than 22 minutes on Monday, with waits peaking around 9 a.m. that day.

Airport staff credit planning that started more than a year ago, working in collaboration with airlines, the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, law enforcement, the Super Bowl Host Committee and others.

That planning resulted in airlines and the TSA staffing more workers and a greater presence of the airport's Navigator volunteers and Navigator Buddy therapy dog teams.

"While our entire airport community is experienced at welcoming visitors for major events, they exceeded my expectations as they worked tirelessly over the last year to ensure fans and visitors alike had a positive and memorable experience," Chad Makovsky, Sky Harbor's director of aviation services, said in a statement.

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Phoenix Sky Harbor airport's busiest day ever, by the numbers

On Monday, Feb. 13, Sky Harbor staff observed:

• 1,691 takeoffs and landings, about 500 more than an average day.

• 22 minutes was the longest wait time at security checkpoints.

• 90,244 passengers were screened, including charter and private aircraft operations. TSA screened 83,914 passengers through their checkpoints.

• 47,206 total checked bags, including terminal and charter operations. TSA screened more than 40,112 checked bags, including 2,496 oversize bags such as golf club bags.

• 2,132 bags were checked using the Early Bag Check service set up specifically for the Super Bowl.

• More than 9,100 rental car returns and more than 5,600 rental car pick-ups.

• Nearly 50,000 people rode the PHX Sky Train.

• 1,367 total taxi pickups and drop offs.

• 23,657 total rideshare pickups and drop offs.

• 313 business/corporate flight arrivals and departures.

• 12 charter flight arrivals and departures.

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Metro Phoenix airports for private planes were busy too

Airports throughout metro Phoenix handled a large number of passengers, including private and charter jets at Phoenix's general aviation airports.

Phoenix Deer Valley Airport had 135 jets in town for Super Bowl week and recorded 91 arrivals and departures on Monday. Phoenix Goodyear Airport had 130 planes arrive for the week and recorded 137 arrivals and departures on Monday.

Scottsdale, Glendale outlooks:Here's how many private planes are expected in Phoenix for Super Bowl 2023

Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix airport's busiest day ever was Super Bowl Monday 2023