United Increases Its Number of Flights to College Football Hotspots This Fall
College football fans, rejoice. United Airlines wants to make it easier to travel to college cities across the country in order to see the biggest college games. This fall, the Chicago-based airline is adding frequencies to a number of existing destinations that it also qualifies as top college football markets, as well as adding larger planes to operate some of its routes.
Between September and November, United is adding more than 204,000 total seats to the popular college football destinations, amounting to 2,200 additional daily seats.
"Each fall, football fans travel from near and far to cheer on their alma matter or favorite college team," said Ankit Gupta, United's VP of domestic network. "Football brings families, friends and classmates together for thrilling and memorable moments, which is why we've added over 204,000 seats to top college markets this fall to help our customers more easily get to these exciting games."
These are the routes gaining additional frequencies between September and November:
| Route | Major College Nearby | Typical Frequency (round-trips per week) | New Frequency (round-trips per week) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago (ORD) ⇒ Columbia, SC (CAE) | University of South Carolina | 2 | 3 |
| Chicago (ORD) ⇒ Madison, WI (MSN) | University of Wisconsin | 7 | 9 |
| Chicago (ORD) ⇒ Oklahoma City, OK (OKC) | University of Oklahoma | 3 | 4 |
| Chicago (ORD) ⇒ Omaha, NE (OMA) | University of Nebraska | 5 | 6 |
| Chicago (ORD) ⇒ South Bend, IN (SBN) | University of Notre Dame | 4 | 5 |
| Chicago (ORD) ⇒ State College, PA (SCE) | Penn State University | 3 | 4 |
| Denver (DEN) ⇒ Knoxville, TN (TYS) | University of Tennessee | 1 | 2 |
| Houston (IAH) ⇒ College Station, TX (CLL) | Texas A&M | 2 | 3 |
| New York (EWR) ⇒ Columbus, OH (CMH) | Ohio State | 7 | 8 |
| New York (EWR) ⇒ Detroit, MI (DTW) | University of Michigan | 6 | 7 |
| New York (EWR) ⇒ Madison, WI (MSN) | University of Wisconsin | 2 | 3 |
| New York (EWR) ⇒ Omaha, NE (OMA) | University of Nebraska | 2 | 3 |
| New York (EWR) ⇒ South Bend, IN (SBN) | University of Notre Dame | 1 | 2 |
| Washington, DC (IAD) ⇒ Columbia, SC (CAE) | University of South Carolina | 2 | 3 |
| Washington, DC (IAD) ⇒ Greenville, SC (GSP) | Clemson | 3 | 4 |
| Washington, DC (IAD) ⇒ Knoxville, TN (TYS) | University of Tennessee | 2 | 4 |
| Washington, DC (IAD) ⇒ State College, PA (SCE) | Penn State University | 2 | 3 |
In addition to the added frequencies in select markets, United is also adding larger aircraft on some other routes in order to accommodate more passengers.
The following routes will get larger aircraft on the routes from September through November:
- Chicago (ORD) ⇒ Fayetteville, AR (XNA)
- Chicago (ORD) ⇒ Lansing, MI (LAN)
- Denver (DEN) ⇒ Austin, TX (AUS)
- Houston (IAH) ⇒ Birmingham, AL (BHM)
- Houston (IAH) ⇒ Fayetteville, AR (XNA)
- Houston (IAH) ⇒ Tucson, AZ (TUS)
- New York (EWR) ⇒ Austin, TX (AUS)
- San Francisco (SFO) ⇒ Boise, ID (BOI)
If you're planning to take advantage of one of these limited-time route increases, consider signing up for one of these credit cards that are best for flying with United.
