Source: The Points Guy
Summary
Airlines are adding special flights for major sports events, including college football and NFL games. United Airlines is offering nonstop service between Indianapolis and Lincoln for a matchup between Indiana and Nebraska. Southwest Airlines is adding flights for away games, while American Airlines will provide a flight from Dallas to Rio de Janeiro for an NFL game in Brazil. Sports travel generated $51.1 billion in 2025, according to the Sports Events and Tourism Association.
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The escape is carefully planned.
United offers nonstop flights for college football games. Southwest adds routes for away games. American Airlines flies to Brazil for an NFL match. Airlines track fan demand and adjust schedules. The trip is structured around game days and travel logistics.
Author: Evan Null
Sports travel is booming
In 2025, fans spent $51.1 billion traveling to spectator sporting events, according to the Sports Events and Tourism Association. And keep in mind that was before fans flooded major U.S. cities this summer for the FIFA World Cup. In Austin, one out of every six hotel room nights is now owed to sports-related travel, tourism leaders say. “It drives summer. It drives weekend[s],” Tom Noonan, CEO of Visit Austin, said last month. “It’s a big part of Austin’s future.”
It’s about how fans are traveling
Of course, fans following their teams around the country is nothing new. Rose Gray, a Wisconsin-based travel adviser, has helped Green Bay Packers fans book trips to away games for more than 40 years. What has changed, she said, is how fans are choosing to travel. Gone are the days of scoring cheap tickets, staying in budget motels and tailgating to beat traffic. Now, fans are asking Gray to send them to Formula One races in Monaco with prime seats and meet and greets with their favorite drivers.
Airlines bet big on the big game
Airlines have taken notice. Southwest is planning unique nonstop service between Oklahoma City and Jacksonville when Oklahoma State plays the University of Florida in November. The weekend before Thanksgiving, there’s a flight between Columbus and Omaha when Ohio State plays Nebraska. To be fair, these football-focused flights aren’t actually new. United has been strategically adding unique routes to college football games for nearly a decade. But in recent years, the Chicago-based carrier has doubled down on finding opportunities to add one-off routes, even ones that don’t touch its major hubs.
More than a game
The deep link between sports and travel goes well beyond Saturday college football games, too — especially as leagues launch games to more alluring destinations. The NFL is planning its biggest international tour in 2026, following this past week’s first-ever game in Australia. Next summer, the MLB plans to host another game on the Iowa farm that was once the set of the film “Field of Dreams.” Meanwhile, ticket sales are already underway for one of the biggest draws of all: the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
TPG’s tips for booking
If you’re planning to book a trip to see your favorite team, it helps to be an eagle-eyed schedule-watcher. Begin searching flights and hotels as soon as your team’s schedule drops. If you’re hoping to use points, the best award deals are sometimes available 11 months or more in advance. Just be sure to book reservations you can change if the price later drops or if your plans change.
