The first two games of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs had billionaires and celebrities crossing the United States — or at least going from New York to Texas — to watch the duel from courtside seats, paying more than $10,000 per hour to get there.
Names like former Disney CEO Bob Iger, couple Stewart Butterfield and Jen Rubio, as well as Knicks superfans Spike Lee and Ben Stiller, were among those who traveled to San Antonio this week for the first two games of the series.
Private jet traffic at Stinson Municipal Airport, San Antonio’s hub of private and business jet operations, has soared, according to Business Insider.
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On Wednesday, the day of the first game, there were 138 landings and takeoffs, 18% more than the previous Wednesday, while traffic for the week until noon on Friday was up 25% compared with the same period last year, according to data from flight tracking service FlightAware.
While the NBA Finals always attracts wealthy fans and their private jets, the presence of the New York Knicks has sparked an even bigger rush this year.
The New York City region and surrounding area, packed with Orange and Blue fans, is one of the top markets for private jet owners and charter customers, and commercial flights from the region to San Antonio are limited. The team’s first appearance in the Finals in almost three decades also adds to its appeal.
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Earlier this week, charter flights from New York to San Antonio on the XO private jet platform started at about $45,000. The most expensive aircraft cost more than US$150,000 — and that’s not including round trips.
Flexjet advertises rates starting at US$7,000 per hour, rising to US$23,000, including administration fees, operational costs and membership. With the flight between New York and San Antonio taking about four hours, that would represent at least $28,000.
That’s not counting tickets for the games, which started at US$800 and easily reached the six figures for games one and three. (And that’s cheap, nothing compared to Madison Square Garden tickets, where seats in the upper section were selling for $7,500 each and courtside seats were being auctioned off for $500,000.)
So far, Knicks fans have nothing to complain about: there were two wins in two games in the 7-game series and the chance to win the title at home, at Madison Square Garden, if the team manages two more victories against the Spurs.
Sporting events have become big business for private jet operators. The Super Bowl, Formula 1 races and The Masters tournament are among the biggest annual draws, with charter and fractional ownership companies hosting special events and offering VIP benefits to connect and promote services to clients.
