Knight Flights launches as an innovative, first-class way to travel to select VGK road games

Vegas Golden Knights mascot Chance the Gila Monster poses for photo with Serenity, 4, during the Battle 4 Vegas charity softball game at the Las Vegas Ballpark Saturday, July 13, 2024. Photo by: Wade Vandervort

In less than a decade since the franchise was formed, the Vegas Golden Knights have already become known around the NHL for having one of the better traveling fanbases.

That reputation only figures to grow starting this year with a new avenue for fans to reach road games. Las Vegas is synonymous with VIP experiences, and now there’s one for local fans who want to experience the Golden Knights outside of T-Mobile Arena.

Cirrus Aviation, a locally-based, longtime sponsorship partner of the Golden Knights, launched Knight Flights with an October 8 away game at the San Jose Sharks. Trips are scheduled for seven more games this regular season.

The service includes a roundtrip seat on a 15-passenger private jet, a lower-bowl game ticket and black-car ground transportation to and from the away arena. Prices start at $1,995, not cheap but a discount compared to similar packages available in other cities for events like major golf tournaments and football games that can run up to $10,000, according to Cirrus President Eric Grilly.

The open-to-fans, private-jet experience is unprecedented in hockey, so we caught up with Grilly to discuss how it’s going, why the Golden Knights were the right partner and more.

What was the genesis of this idea?

We’ve got a Stanley Cup-winning hockey team here, and we’ve done work with them. We’re big fans of theirs. So, we started brainstorming things that we could do together, talking to our clients, talking to their customers, looking at our capabilities, and there seemed like a great opportunity for us to transport people out to away games.

How much did it help knowing there would be a demand with the passionate nature of the Golden Knights’ fan base?

They put an incredible product on the ice every single year they’ve been here. They’re competitive every year. They’re a fun team to get behind. If you’ve been to our city, you’re going to see a ton of Golden Knights’ license plates. This town has embraced the Golden Knights. I think the Golden Knights have done an incredible job with boots on the ground years before the puck dropped. I think they’ve done a fantastic job building a relationship with the Las Vegas community. You’ve got unbelievable fandom, and we’re certainly capitalizing on that.

How did the first flight go?

The first flight was nearly sold out, and we’ve already sold out another one. The trajectory of the other flights, the demand is quite strong. I wasn’t there but reports from our chaperone was that it was a great experience. You take off here at 5 p.m., you’re there 45 minutes later, met by private transport, a catered flight with a cabinet attendant in a large cabin aircraft. What’s not to like about that? It’s first class all the way. You get a VIP ticket, watch the game, private transportation back to the airport and we’re home at 11, in bed before bedtime.

What was the feedback from the customers?

It was five stars across the group. I think we’ll have some return customers.

Coming from the perspective of someone in the aviation industry, what have you made of Las Vegas’ growth as a sports city?

Las Vegas has become a fervent sports town. Knight Flights is really phase one of our rollout program but there will be more and more curated experiences that our members will be invited to participate in. I think there will be a foundation in sports but we can expand beyond that. In 2028, we’ll have a Major League Baseball team playing here and I believe then soon thereafter we’ll have an NBA team. We’re excited about being a part of it.

What are the plans for evolving this idea?

I think it’s going to be one step at a time. We’ve got seven more games this year and want to make sure we provide an excellent experience and have a full aircraft. We’re actually doing a new one, called Race Flights, for Formula 1, but our ability to have success will drive our interest in deploying more of these programs.

This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.