United Airlines wants to help you cheer on your favorite team — in person.
The Chicago-based carrier announced on Tuesday that it’s adding 20 nonstop flights and upgauging 115 flights for 30 of the biggest college football games this season.
These added flights cover many key matchups of the season, including Ohio State versus Oregon on Oct. 12 and Alabama against LSU on Nov. 9.
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You’ll find the full list of added flights at the bottom of this story, and all of the flights are already available for sale on united.com and the airline’s mobile app.
United is the latest major U.S. airline to add special flights for key sports games. While airlines have long boosted flights for big-ticket matchups and high-profile events like the Final Four or the Consumer Electronics Show (it’s the techie equivalent of the Super Bowl), we’re seeing more and more carriers add flights for high-profile regular-season games.
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So far this year, Delta Air Lines has unveiled more than 50 special nonstop flights for college football season, and Southwest Airlines has added 42 new flights for the NFL football season.
For airlines, these flights seem to be a win-win. They can take advantage of increased demand for these matchups, which typically occur on weekends when they have some extra capacity to support these flights.
In fact, these flights also often draw the attention of aviation enthusiasts, who sometimes revel in the opportunity to take unique one-off commercial routes like Shanghai to Las Vegas.
“Connecting travelers to the moments that matter most to them is at the core of what we do at United. We know fans will appreciate this year’s special football schedule that will make it easier to cheer on their teams on the road,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, in a statement.
| Matchup | Date | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSU at USC | Aug. 31 | Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) in Louisiana | Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas |
| Texas at Michigan | Sept. 6 | Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) |
| Northern Illinois at Notre Dame | Sept. 6 | Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) | South Bend International Airport (SBN) in Indiana |
| Alabama at Wisconsin | Sept. 13 | Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) in Alabama | Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) near Madison, Wisconsin |
| Tennessee at Oklahoma | Sept. 20 | McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) near Knoxville, Tennessee | Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma City |
| USC at Michigan | Sept. 20 | Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) | DTW |
| Miami (OH) at Notre Dame | Sept. 20 | Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) | SBN |
| Arkansas at Texas A&M | Sept. 27 | Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) | Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) |
| Louisville at Notre Dame | Sept. 27 | Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) in Kentucky | SBN |
| Tennessee at Arkansas | Oct. 4 | TYS | XNA |
| Stanford at Notre Dame | Oct. 11 | San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in California | SBN |
| Ole Miss at LSU | Oct. 11 | Memphis International Airport (MEM) | BTR |
| Ohio State at Oregon | Oct. 11 | John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) in Ohio | Eugene Airport (EUG) in Oregon |
| Penn State at USC | Oct. 11 | State College Regional Airport (SCE) in Pennsylvania | LAX |
| LSU at Arkansas | Oct. 18 | BTR | XNA |
| Georgia at Texas | Oct. 18 | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) | AUS |
| Notre Dame at Georgia Tech | Oct. 18 | SBN | ATL |
| Notre Dame at Navy | Oct. 25 | SBN | EWR |
| Nebraska at Ohio State | Oct. 25 | Lincoln Airport (LNK) in Nebraska | CMH |
| Wisconsin at lowa | Nov. 1 | MSN | Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
| Alabama at LSU | Nov. 8 | BHM | BTR |
| Florida State at Notre Dame | Nov. 8 | EWR | SBN |
| Texas at Arkansas | Nov. 15 | AUS | XNA |
| Ohio State at Northwestern | Nov. 15 | CMH | O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago |
| Virginia at Notre Dame | Nov. 15 | Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) near Washington, D.C. | SBN |
| Northwestern at Michigan | Nov. 22 | ORD | DTW |
| Wisconsin at Nebraska | Nov. 22 | MSN | LNK |
| Alabama at Oklahoma | Nov. 22 | BHM | OKC |
| Army at Notre Dame | Nov. 22 | SBN | LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York |
| Oklahoma at LSU | Nov. 29 | OKC | BTR |
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
