American football fans were excited to see which teams will play in the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII on February 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. The teams that could appear in the Super Bowl were narrowed down after four teams - the Texans, Packers, Buccaneers, and Bills - were eliminated on January 20 and 21. On January 28, the Ravens and Lions were removed from Super Bowl contention after losing in the AFC and NFC Championships, respectively. Therefore, Super Bowl LVIII will feature the Chiefs and 49ers facing each other on February 11 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
How Chiefs and 49ers Fans Nationwide Can Fly to Las Vegas
Chiefs and 49ers fans will spend a fortune to see their favorite teams play at the Super Bowl. In October, American Airlines announced plans to add more flights to Super Bowl LVII for football fans in select cities. These flights aim to serve fans in cities where American has significant operations: Austin, Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington-National. The airline will offer flights to Las Vegas from February 8 to 11 and return flights on February 12.
Lewis Townes, American Airlines' Director of Las Vegas, said about the flights on January 28:
"We are excited to welcome football fans to the city, as they experience all that Las Vegas has to offer. These additional flights will give sports fans more direct travel options so that they can touch down, rally with fellow sports fans and cheer on their favorite team."
United Airlines will operate its largest-ever Super Bowl flight schedule this year. The airline will add over 40 flights and use its larger aircraft to fly 14,000 passengers to Las Vegas. Delta Air Lines added 16 flights and over 2,500 seats for passengers going to Las Vegas from four airports, including New York-JFK.
Passengers interested in attending the Super Bowl can fly to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), which serves the Las Vegas metropolitan area.
Flights From Kansas City
Passengers can fly from Kansas City International Airport (MCI) to Las Vegas through nonstop flights offered by Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines. Flying from Kansas City to Las Vegas takes approximately three hours, with return flights around two hours and 40 minutes. Spirit flies this route using an Airbus A320 twice daily, while Southwest has at least three daily flights using its Boeing 737 and 737 MAX fleet. United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines added temporary direct flights from Kansas City to Las Vegas right after the Chiefs won on January 28.
American Airlines added seven nonstop flights connecting Kansas City and Las Vegas from February 8 to 13. The flight numbers honor the team's players and fans, with the airline offering these flights:
- AA 1989 - named after Taylor Swift's album
- AA 87 - named after Travis Kelce's jersey number
- AA 15 - named after Patrick Mahomes' jersey number
- AA 1521 - named after Mahomes' and Mike Edwards' jersey numbers
United Airlines has also created unique flight numbers for each flight to celebrate the Chiefs' most popular players and fans. The carrier estimates the additional flights will allow 1,000 Chiefs fans to attend the Super Bowl. These are the flight numbers:
- UA 1587 - named after Mahomes and Kelce's jersey numbers
- UA 1989 - named after Swift's album
- UA 2287 - named after Swift's song and Kelce's jersey number to celebrate their romantic relationship
Delta Air Lines has added three flights from Kansas City to Las Vegas on February 8 and 9 using its Boeing 737-900ER aircraft. The airline will offer three return flights on February 12. Unlike American and United, these routes will have normal flight numbers: DL 8811, DL 8814, and DL 8816. These routes expand on Delta's growing presence in Kansas City after the carrier opened a Delta Sky Club lounge at MCI in February 2023.
Southwest Airlines has added multiple additional nonstop flights between Kansas City and Las Vegas from February 8 to 13. There will be four direct flights on Thursday, seven on Friday, and four on Saturday. The airline will also have eight return flights on February 12 and four on February 13.
American Airlines has announced three return flights from Las Vegas to Kansas City on February 12. These flights will depart at 12:20 a.m., 8:30 a.m., and 9:30 a.m. local time. United Airlines will also offer three return flights. These flights will leave Kansas City at 11:30 p.m. on February 11 and at 10:10 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. local time on February 12. Unlike the flights to Las Vegas, United's return flights will not have special names to honor players or fans.
Flights From San Francisco
Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest, and United Airlines offer nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Las Vegas. All flights from San Francisco to Las Vegas are approximately one hour and 45 minutes, with return flights taking around the same time. United operates this route multiple times daily, while Alaska and Southwest have three daily frequencies and Frontier at least once daily.
The following aircraft are used for flights from SFO:
- Alaska: Boeing 737, 737 MAX 9, and Embraer 175
- Frontier: Airbus A320neo and Airbus A321
- Southwest: Boeing 737 and 737 MAX 8
- United: Boeing 737, Boeing 737 MAX 9 and Boeing 757
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines added temporary nonstop flights connecting SFO and LAS on January 28. United announced two additional flights from SFO after the 49ers won, with flight numbers UA 1995 and UA 1849. These numbers represent the last year the 49ers won the Super Bowl and the gold miners who came to Northern California in 1849, respectively.
Delta Air Lines introduced one flight from SFO to LAS on February 8 and two flights on February 9. The carrier will fly passengers back to SFO through three flights on February 12. All routes will use Delta's Boeing 737-900ER aircraft. Eligible passengers can spend time at the Delta Sky Club lounge before boarding their flight.
Southwest Airlines announced its Super Bowl flight schedule from SFO on January 28. The carrier will offer three direct flights on February 8 and four on February 9 and 10. Return flights will operate from Las Vegas to San Francisco four times on February 12 and three times on February 13.
Another option for fans looking for more affordable fares on low-cost carriers or based in other parts of the San Francisco Bay Area is to fly from airports in San Jose or Oakland. San Jose International Airport (SJC) and Oakland International Airport (OAK) especially benefit passengers in the Santa Clara Valley and East Bay, respectively. Southwest and Spirit serve Las Vegas from both airports, with JSX and Allegiant Air also providing service to Oakland.
Southwest Airlines has added flights for passengers from Oakland and San Jose. The airline will have ten nonstop flights on February 8 and eleven on February 9 from both airports. On February 10, Southwest will operate seven direct flights from Oakland and eight from San Jose. Both airports will receive eleven return flights on February 12 and eight on February 13.
Delta Air Lines has also introduced one flight from San Jose to Las Vegas on February 10 and a return flight on February 12. Both flights will use Embraer 175 planes.
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