A local air force, of sorts, at San Jose Mineta International Airport is gearing up for Super Bowl LX.  Recently, all kinds of pros opened all kinds of closed doors for NBC Bay Area. For months, the airport, an NFL insider, and United Airlines granted NBC Bay Area up-close access to the logistic al blitz that’s kicking off.  “There’s a lot behind the scenes that the public doesn’t know,” said United’s John Mangold. The well-oiled but rarely seen machine gives us a small glimpse at some very big days ahead for the Super Bowl. It’s an operation that United’s Nick Lujan called “chaos.”  Back in December and again in January, NBC Bay Area went behind the barbed wire fences at one of SJC’s gritty cargo complexes. An unglamorous place like this is where a Super Bowl team’s plane will soon pull in – with the world watching. The days NBC Bay Area was there, the parking spot played host to a charter plane for the San Francisco 49ers.  A Boeing 777-300 pulled in. Lujan said it’s the grandaddy of United’s fleet.  “It’s the biggest jet,” he said. “It’s the one the Niners prefer; that most NFL teams prefer.” This hulking plane is capable of criss-crossing across oceans. But today it took a different route.  “We flew this plane an entire 11 minutes from San Francisco,” said United flight attendant Molly Jones. She revealed some inside baseball for football fans. Jones said airlines often “ferry” big jets when teams charter them. Rather than making the Niners drive from Levi’s Stadium to SFO, United flew their ride 30 miles to SJC. “We do our best to make this as seamless as possible,” Jones said. Super Bowl Jan 27 Super Bowl traffic guide: Road closure maps for Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Jose Super Bowl Jan 16 Super Bowl events: List of fan festivals, concerts, tailgates, watch parties and more While Jones’ squad was rushing to cater to the team’s every request upstairs, another army downstairs was running back and forth to load a tractor trailer full of gear. “They can travel with anywhere from 28,000 to 35,000 pounds, depending on the season and where they’re going,” Mangold said. He noted that each flight “takes about a week of planning.” Lujan is pushing that planning into action – one pallet at a time. “It’s a good gig,” Lujan said.  On any given day, you might find a one-off sports charter outside the SJC terminal. Inside, SJC’s Noah Daneman expects eight to 12 times the normal charter action. “For the Super Bowl, we’re expecting each team to have four to six large aircraft,” he said. That’s one big jet for the players, plus four or five more airliners for staff, families, and VIP fans.  It’s a delicate dance to coordinate. NBC Bay Area got a chance to meet the choreographer.  The NFL’s aviation point person huddled up with the airlines not too far from the runway.  “I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” Jose Hernandez said. “We’ve built a rapport with those guys.”  Hernandez let NBC Bay Area tag along as he shared a playbook. At one point, he was coaching the air carriers about some tight timelines. For example, the two teams’ player planes might land almost back to back.  “An hour separation between plane one and plane two,” he said.  Next up, a handoff to a fleet of charter buses. SJC’s expecting as many as 80 buses to carry the chartered planes’ passengers to their hotels. It’s a lot of logistics, yet only half of what’s on SJC’s radar for the Super Bowl. SJC’s Daneman wicked NBC Bay Area to the west side of the airfield. Private jets park there. For the Super Bowl, Daneman expects about 150 to flood this zone.  NBC Bay Area asked how airport crews will put 150 planes on the ground all at the same time. “Magic,” Daneman said with a laugh. Daneman said the real sorcery is software to virtually assign parking spots.  Nearby are the exclusive private jet terminals. NBC Bay Area went inside when Hernandez was briefing the crews there for private planes to come and go nonstop over the weekend. He expects a couple dozen to take off right after kickoff. Some VIPs will be that eager to leave. “Because they’re only here for the tailgates,” Hernandez said. “Then, we’ll have another bunch of people leaving after the halftime show.” Private jets will roll down the runway for hours Sunday night. The teams’ planes are holding off until Monday to leave, the airport said. That’s when the scrimmage will replay at the cargo complex – the motorcades, the planes, the tractor trailers, all of it – to send all those big chartered jets home. If you look carefully in the background around the Super Bowl, it’s possible you’ll get a glimpse at these special behind-the-scenes teams.   “We’re a small family,” Mangold said.  And you’ll probably find them smiling about their big job for the big game.  “It’s a lot of fun to be part of,” Daneman said.  ...read more read less