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Las Vegas airports brace for mad rush of Super Bowl travelers
Las Vegas — An estimated half-a-million fans are flooding the Las Vegas Strip for Super Bowl LVIII, and Harry Reid International Airport has added 60 extra flights this weekend to handle the influx of visitors.
Security is being stepped up, with thousands of local, state and federal officers working to secure Sin City.
“Sunday is the Super Bowl, but Monday is our Super Bowl,” Harry Reid International Airport Supervisory TSA Officer Guadalupe Castillo said. “We have officers that have been deployed from across the nation to join us here and assist us and making sure that passengers get through securely.”
About 10 miles from Allegiant Field, Henderson Executive Airport rolled out 18 extra acres of overflow parking for private jets. They expect eight times more jets than average to park here. About 1,100 have been given slots to take off and land at three area airports. That is likely a new record, according to Clark County Aviation Director Rosemary Vassiliadis.
“We will be 100% full at any given time,” Vassiliadis said.
All eyes will be on whether pop superstar Taylor Swift will be in Las Vegas to cheer on her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift has a concert in Tokyo on Saturday night as part of her Eras Tour, but should in theory have enough time to make it in time for the game thanks to the 17-hour time difference.
Several airlines have added extra Swift-themed flights this week. American Airlines listed flights from Kansas City to Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday with the flight number 1989 — a reference to Swift’s birth year and the name of one of her most successful albums.
And when asked if there would be room for Swift’s private jet from Japan, Vassiliadis responded with a laugh, “I can only imagine there is.”
Super Bowl LVIII will air on CBS and Nickelodeon and stream on Paramount+ on Feb. 11 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.
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New documentary explores the private life of “Superman” icon Christopher Reeve
Long before comic book characters dominated movie screens, actor Christopher Reeve made the world believes in superheroes with the 1978 classic “Superman.”
Reeve died in 2004, nearly a decade after an accident re-shaped his life. “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” is using interviews with family and friends and never-before-seen home videos to explore his real-life heroism.
Reeve started his career on the stage, studying at the prestigious Juilliard School and living with comedian Robin Williams. The pair had a friendship that was “more like a brotherhood,” said Reeve’s son Matthew. Reeve was in awe of Williams’ energy and versatility, Matthew Reeve said, but audiences quickly clued into Reeve’s own star power when he took on the role of the Man of Steel.
To his children, though, he “was just dad,” Matthew Reeve said. The documentary explores how Matthew Reeve and his sister Alexandra Reeve Givens grew up watching their dad take the stage as Superman. “Super/Man” also reveals their heartbreak over their parents’ breakup and the joy they found when Reeve re-married. He tied the knot with Dana Reeve in 1992, and the pair welcomed another child, William Reeve, later that year.
“Dana was sunshine,” Alexandra Reeve Givens recalled. “She just brought joy with her wherever she was and could find it even in the darkest moments.”
Those dark moments came suddenly, when in 1995, a near-fatal horseback riding accident left Reeve paralyzed from the neck down. The documentary allows viewers to see, for the first time, what went on out of the public’s view. Reeve can be heard talking about how he “ruined (his) life and everybody else’s,” but in a touching moment, old friend Robin Williams is seen visiting him in the hospital.
“Robin showed him ‘Hey, you’re still you,'” Alexandra Reeve Givens said. “‘You still have this foundation of friendship and people around you, who adore you. And you’re going to find those fun moments in life again.'”
That support from friends and family re-ignited Reeve’s legacy of activism. He made appearances at the Democratic National Convention and the 68th Academy Awards in 1996, about a year after the accident. Matthew Reeve said watching his father address his industry peers at the Oscars was “one of (his) most proud moments.”
“It was just a production for him to get out of bed every morning, let alone get across the country and go out in public for the first time,” Matthew Reeve said. “It was a big deal. It was a big deal to him, but it was also a big deal to the entire disability community. We stayed up in London till like three in the morning to watch that live. It’s a fond memory.”
Reeve also went on to launch what would become the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing research into spiral cord injury and help individuals and families impacted by paralysis. It was his dad’s mission to find a cure, Matthew Reeve said, while his stepmother wanted to focus on improving the lives of paralyzed people and their families. The foundation and Reeve’s platform helped bring unprecedented attention and funding to spinal cord injury research.
Reeve even kept acting and realized his lifelong dream of directing with the 1997 HBO movie “In the Gloaming.” Reeve died in 2004 from heart failure at 52.
“There is a huge amount of great actors and actresses out there, where their filmography might be amazing and what they achieve on a cultural level might be amazing, but have they actually achieved anything really as a human that moves the needle for our society?” said filmmaker Ian Bonhote, who made the documentary with Peter Ettedgui. “And Chris has done both things.”
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” will open in theaters on Friday, Oct. 11.
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