The confetti hadn’t even finished falling at Levi’s Stadium before private jets started taking off from the Bay Area. Right after the Super Bowl in San Francisco, California, crowds of wealthy fans and celebrities rushed to local airports, hoping to avoid traffic and get out quickly. In those first couple of hours after the game, nearly 100 private jets took off from Bay Area airports.
If you look at flight-tracking data and what reporters on the ground noticed, you get a clear story. Before the game, business jets flooded into the Bay Area. JetSpy and other tracking sites counted hundreds of general-aviation arrivals at both major and smaller airports all week. Some reporters saw several hundred landings just from February 4th through the 8th.
When the game wrapped up, the California skies cleared out fast, but not with some massive flood of planes. Business Insider dug into ADS-B Exchange data and counted about 95 private jets taking off from Bay Area airports between 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. PST that night. Most headed for places like Van Nuys, Vegas, or even abroad. That’s a big jump compared to a normal Sunday night, and it definitely sparked a wave of social media chatter about a supposed “private jet exodus.”
So why does it all seem so huge? It’s about how the numbers get framed. For instance, when a group of five airports reports a 1,136% spike, they are comparing game night to a quiet Sunday baseline. If you start with just a few jets and see a surge, the percentage looks wild, even if only 95 planes took off in those first two hours.
The FAA and industry groups know these surges are coming. For Super Bowl week, the FAA rolls out special event procedures and a Prior Permission Required slot system to keep arrivals and departures under control. Operators like Flexjet tighten their scheduling and raise service fees to keep up with the extra demand.
Internet Reacts With Carbon Jokes After California Private Jet Exodus
As usual, social media found humor in the moment. As soon as those flight maps and reports of private jets streaming out of the Bay Area hit the internet, people started cracking jokes, everything from carbon footprints to climate hypocrisy, even poking fun at paper straws.
One X user cheekily stated, “But they want me to drink with a paper straw.”
Another user said, “Rules for thee not for me.”
A user noted, “One weekend event, hundreds of jets. Wealth really does travel on a different timetable.”
One user went on to say, “Don’t forget to use that paper straw and make sure you buy an electric vehicle!”
A user commented, “And I’m here struggling with a paper straw to save the planet.”
A user humorously wrote, “I’m scraping together $23.70 to last me until the 15th.”
Watching hundreds of private jets touch down before the Super Bowl and then seeing so many take off right after is something you can’t ignore. Sometimes social media exaggerates how many jets leave at once, but the scene is striking either way. When you see all those high-end planes heading out together, it’s hard not to notice.
