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Delta unveils more than 50 special nonstop flights for college football season

May 17, 2024
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4 min read
Delta Airbus A220-300
Delta unveils more than 50 special nonstop flights for college football season
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Delta Air Lines is bringing you closer to the action with a slew of new flights for college football season.

The Atlanta-based carrier is making a big play for football fans, adding an impressive 50 nonstop flights and 5,600 seats between Aug. 30 and Dec. 1. Delta will offer flights for many of the season's biggest matchups, and you'll find the full list of new services at the bottom of this post.

Delta says it's adding these flights to meet "high demand from customers ready to cheer on their teams." It remains to be seen how these flights will perform, but the airline likely has extra slack in its schedule to make this move work.

Map watching: The award for 'sexiest new route' of the year goes to ...

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

After all, most of these new flights will be operated during the weekend (outbound on Fridays and return on Sundays) when the airline's schedule might not be as busy, especially on Sundays. In this case, Delta is likely boosting its weekend schedule with some spare planes that probably weren't going to fly anyway.

That said, many of these flights will operate on routes that Delta doesn't typically fly, such as from Birmingham, Alabama, to Oklahoma City; and Tallahassee, Florida, to South Bend, Indiana. Since most of these flights aren't operated to or from a hub, Delta will need to lean on the increased demand from fans to fill its planes.

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Fans will likely appreciate that Delta is pulling out all the stops — traveling for some of these matchups might've taken two stops without a nonstop Delta flight — but it remains to be seen how the flights will perform. (I guess we'll get a sense for performance if Delta decides to fly these special one-off routes again next season.)

This isn't the first time that Delta (or its competitors) has added special flights for major events. In years past, Delta has operated one-off flights for the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Super Bowl and more.

Regardless of how each team performs, the real winners are the fans, who will now enjoy nonstop service on routes that once wouldn't have been thought to be possible from a major network airline.

Tickets for all of the new flights will be available for sale through Delta's channels by Monday.

Delta's new round-trip college football routes

  • Sept. 1: LSU versus USC in Las Vegas — Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Las Vegas
  • Sept. 14: Alabama at Wisconsin — Birmingham to Madison, Wisconsin
  • Sept. 21: Tennessee at Oklahoma — Knoxville, Tennessee, to Oklahoma City
  • Oct. 5: Tennessee at Arkansas — Knoxville to Northwest Arkansas
  • Oct. 12: Ohio State at Oregon — Columbus, Ohio, to Portland, Oregon, and Minneapolis to Eugene, Oregon
  • Oct. 19: South Carolina at Oklahoma — Columbia, South Carolina, to Oklahoma City
  • Oct. 26: Missouri at Alabama — Kansas City to Birmingham
  • Nov. 2: UNC at FSU — Raleigh-Durham to Tallahassee
  • Nov. 9: Florida at Texas — Gainesville, Florida, to Austin; Tampa to Austin; and Orlando to Austin
  • Nov. 9: Washington at Penn State — Seattle to Pittsburgh
  • Nov. 9: Iowa at UCLA — Des Moines to Los Angeles
  • Nov. 9: FSU at Notre Dame — Tallahassee to South Bend
  • Nov. 16: Texas at Arkansas — Austin to Northwest Arkansas
  • Nov. 23: Kentucky at Texas — Lexington, Kentucky, to Austin
  • Nov. 23: Alabama at Oklahoma — Birmingham to Oklahoma City and Huntsville, Alabama, to Oklahoma City
  • Nov. 30: Oklahoma at LSU — Oklahoma City to Baton Rouge

Related reading:

Featured image by ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
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.

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  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
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  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
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