Up, up, and away
San Antonio Spurs court fans with helicopter rides to and from games
Slam-dunk that annoying drive on I-35 and dribble all over those I-10 traffic jams. San Antonio Spurs fans looking to arrive to the next game in style can now take a helicopter to the AT&T Center.
The new service is available by reservation for all Spurs home games, as well as by special arrangement for concerts and other special events at the AT&T Center, says Meredith Collier, a spokeswoman for Spurs Sports & Entertainment. The Spurs open their 2019-20 season at home October 23 versus the New York Knicks.
To enable landings and takeoffs, the AT&T Center added four helipads during the off-season, meaning the arena can handle four helicopters at a time, according to Collier. Off-site locations can also accommodate additional helicopters.
“The helipads were added in response to an increasing number of requests from fans in several areas outside of San Antonio who were looking for more efficient travel options as well as a unique game day experience,” Collier says. “The Spurs have a significant and continuously growing fan base — from El Paso to Elgin, Comfort to Corpus Christi, Midland to McAllen, and Alpine to Austin.”
Collier says the helicopter offering is available to anyone within the service radius of one of its helicopter partners. The cost of a copter ride depends on where a trip originates and which operator provides the helicopter and pilot. Each helicopter can hold two to six passengers.
The helipads are at the AT&T Center’s Lot 7. Copter passengers are shuttled between the helipads and the arena, she says.
The news is especially appealing to Spurs fans in the Austin area, as the minor league Austin Spurs play in Cedar Park and the region currently lacks a major league sports team (Austin’s new Major League Soccer team takes the field in 2021).
By car, it’s roughly 80 miles between downtown Austin and the AT&T Center, a trip that takes about an hour and 15 minutes in light traffic. Being ferried by helicopter would cut down considerably on travel time.
