With Super Bowl LVIII on the horizon, American, Southwest, and United airlines are expecting to see an influx of passengers headed from Kansas to Las Vegas, Nevada, this week. As a result, the airlines have increased the number of flights to be offered from Harry Reid International Airport in Vegas and Kansas City International Airport.
American Airlines added five flights between the two airports from Feb. 8 to Feb. 12. United Airlines added six roundtrip flights within the same window. Southwest Airlines has added 16 roundtrip flights.
The NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are set to square off on Sunday, Feb. 11. Athletics aside, the carriers are also attributing the anticipated influx of enthusiasm for the matchup thanks to the high-profile relationship between Taylor Swift and Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce. Some of the added flight numbers even contain subtle nods to the relationship. For example, flight AA 1989 is named after Swift’s fifth album, and flight AA 87 is a tribute to Kelce’s jersey number.
Flights out of San Francisco, California, have also been increased. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines added temporary nonstop flights during Super Bowl weekend. United, which operates a hub at San Francisco International Airport, added two more flights. Southwest announced that up to 68 nonstop options will be offered from San Francisco, Oakland International Airport and San José Mineta International Airport between Feb. 8 and Feb. 10. During the return period on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13, up to 45 nonstop flights will be scheduled from Las Vegas to the Bay Area.
Main Image: American Airlines airplanes, Credit: Adobe/Markus Mainka
