Chiefs, 49ers touch down in Las Vegas ahead of Super Bowl — PHOTOS
Players and staff from the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs landed in Las Vegas on Sunday, one week before Super Bowl 58 at Allegiant Stadium.
The Chiefs were first to arrive at 5:10 p.m. at Harry Reid International Airport. Coach Andy Reid and stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were among the first to exit their charter plane, with the Beastie Boys’ “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)” blaring in the background.
The 49ers arrived an hour later with “Get Back” by YTB Fatt playing, as coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy led the team off the plane.
Each team provided a playlist for the songs that were used as players exited the planes and boarded buses.
The teams were transported to their respective hotels at Lake Las Vegas — the Chiefs at the Westin and the 49ers at the Hilton.
The hotels are located about 25 miles from the Strip, which will be active with more than 100 events tied to the Super Bowl taking place over the week.
Aside from the team arrivals, the airport will play a major role during the entire Super Bowl week, as the majority of fans will arrive and depart from the facility.
Rosemary Vassiliadis, director of aviation at Harry Reid airport, said she is expecting the busiest week ever as far as operations and passengers go.
“Before this we thought, ‘Oh, my goodness, we (Las Vegas) always sold Super Bowl weekend with all of the fabulous parties at resorts,’” Vassiliadis said. “But this is far beyond that being that the Super Bowl is more than one day, it’s an entire week of festivities and all sorts of events to attend. People come and go for that, and people stay through the Super Bowl, even if they are not attending the actual game, just for the excitement.”
The Chiefs and 49ers were not even the biggest VIPs to arrive at the airport Sunday, as President Joe Biden landed in Las Vegas several hours earlier.
“I’m not sure anyone else has ever had POTUS come on the day that the Super Bowl teams were arriving,” Vassiliadis said. “However, we made it through. The staff did a phenomenal job, and everything went smoothly.
“Both events have layers of security levels — of course POTUS being the most — but the times really did not conflict with where the Super Bowl had to get set up versus where POTUS lands and the path of travel where Air Force One parks. So other than having a lot of staff everywhere, it worked like a charm.”
On Monday, the players and coaches from both teams will make their lone public appearance leading up to the game at Super Bowl Opening Night at Allegiant Stadium. Fans can buy tickets for $30.
The rest of the week, the teams will practice at separate locations, the Chiefs at the Raiders’ Henderson practice facility and the 49ers at UNLV’s Fertitta Football Complex, located just east of the Strip.
Each team will also participate in daily media interviews at their team hotels.
The week culminates in Super Bowl 58 at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
The arrival of the players for Las Vegas’ first Super Bowl was a surreal moment for Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The LVCVA has been working on securing and planning for the big game for several years.
“We’ve looked forward to this for the 2½ years that we’ve been planning it and the eight years since we’ve been talking with the Raiders,” he said. “… I don’t know if weird is the right term, but it is here and that is something that we’re thrilled about. But it’s hard to get your head wrapped around it.”
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.