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United Airlines adds 20 nonstop flights for college football season

Zach GriffSenior reporter
Zach Griff is a senior reporter at TPG. He writes travel and product reviews, deep dives into loyalty programs, news about the airline industry and more.

August 22, 2024 • 5 min read

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United Airlines wants to help you cheer on your favorite team — in person.

The Chicago-based carrier announced on Tuesday that it's adding 20 nonstop flights and upgauging 115 flights for 30 of the biggest college football games this season.

These added flights cover many key matchups of the season, including Ohio State versus Oregon on Oct. 12 and Alabama against LSU on Nov. 9.

Value check: Are airline credit cards worth it anymore?

You'll find the full list of added flights at the bottom of this story, and all of the flights are already available for sale on united.com and the airline's mobile app.

United is the latest major U.S. airline to add special flights for key sports games. While airlines have long boosted flights for big-ticket matchups and high-profile events like the Final Four or the Consumer Electronics Show (it's the techie equivalent of the Super Bowl), we're seeing more and more carriers add flights for high-profile regular-season games.

So far this year, Delta Air Lines has unveiled more than 50 special nonstop flights for college football season, and Southwest Airlines has added 42 new flights for the NFL football season.

For airlines, these flights seem to be a win-win. They can take advantage of increased demand for these matchups, which typically occur on weekends when they have some extra capacity to support these flights.

In fact, these flights also often draw the attention of aviation enthusiasts, who sometimes revel in the opportunity to take unique one-off commercial routes like Shanghai to Las Vegas.

“Connecting travelers to the moments that matter most to them is at the core of what we do at United. We know fans will appreciate this year’s special football schedule that will make it easier to cheer on their teams on the road," said Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, in a statement.

Matchup	Date	From	To
LSU at USC	Aug. 31	Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) in Louisiana	Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas
Texas at Michigan	Sept. 6	Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)	Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
Northern Illinois at Notre Dame	Sept. 6	Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)	South Bend International Airport (SBN) in Indiana
Alabama at Wisconsin	Sept. 13	Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) in Alabama	Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) near Madison, Wisconsin
Tennessee at Oklahoma	Sept. 20	McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) near Knoxville, Tennessee	Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma City
USC at Michigan	Sept. 20	Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)	DTW
Miami (OH) at Notre Dame	Sept. 20	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)	SBN
Arkansas at Texas A&M	Sept. 27	Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA)	Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
Louisville at Notre Dame	Sept. 27	Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) in Kentucky	SBN
Tennessee at Arkansas	Oct. 4	TYS	XNA
Stanford at Notre Dame	Oct. 11	San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in California	SBN
Ole Miss at LSU	Oct. 11	Memphis International Airport (MEM)	BTR
Ohio State at Oregon	Oct. 11	John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) in Ohio	Eugene Airport (EUG) in Oregon
Penn State at USC	Oct. 11	State College Regional Airport (SCE) in Pennsylvania	LAX
LSU at Arkansas	Oct. 18	BTR	XNA
Georgia at Texas	Oct. 18	Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)	AUS
Notre Dame at Georgia Tech	Oct. 18	SBN	ATL
Notre Dame at Navy	Oct. 25	SBN	EWR
Nebraska at Ohio State	Oct. 25	Lincoln Airport (LNK) in Nebraska	CMH
Wisconsin at lowa	Nov. 1	MSN	Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Alabama at LSU	Nov. 8	BHM	BTR
Florida State at Notre Dame	Nov. 8	EWR	SBN
Texas at Arkansas	Nov. 15	AUS	XNA
Ohio State at Northwestern	Nov. 15	CMH	O'Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago
Virginia at Notre Dame	Nov. 15	Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) near Washington, D.C.	SBN
Northwestern at Michigan	Nov. 22	ORD	DTW
Wisconsin at Nebraska	Nov. 22	MSN	LNK
Alabama at Oklahoma	Nov. 22	BHM	OKC
Army at Notre Dame	Nov. 22	SBN	LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York
Oklahoma at LSU	Nov. 29	OKC	BTR

Related reading:

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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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.
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Annual Fee is $325.
Terms Apply.

United Airlines wants to help you cheer on your favorite team — in person.

The Chicago-based carrier announced on Tuesday that it's adding 20 nonstop flights and upgauging 115 flights for 30 of the biggest college football games this season.

These added flights cover many key matchups of the season, including Ohio State versus Oregon on Oct. 12 and Alabama against LSU on Nov. 9.

Value check: Are airline credit cards worth it anymore?

You'll find the full list of added flights at the bottom of this story, and all of the flights are already available for sale on united.com and the airline's mobile app.

So far this year, Delta Air Lines has unveiled more than 50 special nonstop flights for college football season, and Southwest Airlines has added 42 new flights for the NFL football season.

In fact, these flights also often draw the attention of aviation enthusiasts, who sometimes revel in the opportunity to take unique one-off commercial routes like Shanghai to Las Vegas.

Matchup	Date	From	To
LSU at USC	Aug. 31	Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) in Louisiana	Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas
Texas at Michigan	Sept. 6	Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)	Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
Northern Illinois at Notre Dame	Sept. 6	Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)	South Bend International Airport (SBN) in Indiana
Alabama at Wisconsin	Sept. 13	Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) in Alabama	Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) near Madison, Wisconsin
Tennessee at Oklahoma	Sept. 20	McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) near Knoxville, Tennessee	Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma City
USC at Michigan	Sept. 20	Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)	DTW
Miami (OH) at Notre Dame	Sept. 20	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)	SBN
Arkansas at Texas A&M	Sept. 27	Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA)	Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
Louisville at Notre Dame	Sept. 27	Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) in Kentucky	SBN
Tennessee at Arkansas	Oct. 4	TYS	XNA
Stanford at Notre Dame	Oct. 11	San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in California	SBN
Ole Miss at LSU	Oct. 11	Memphis International Airport (MEM)	BTR
Ohio State at Oregon	Oct. 11	John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) in Ohio	Eugene Airport (EUG) in Oregon
Penn State at USC	Oct. 11	State College Regional Airport (SCE) in Pennsylvania	LAX
LSU at Arkansas	Oct. 18	BTR	XNA
Georgia at Texas	Oct. 18	Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)	AUS
Notre Dame at Georgia Tech	Oct. 18	SBN	ATL
Notre Dame at Navy	Oct. 25	SBN	EWR
Nebraska at Ohio State	Oct. 25	Lincoln Airport (LNK) in Nebraska	CMH
Wisconsin at lowa	Nov. 1	MSN	Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Alabama at LSU	Nov. 8	BHM	BTR
Florida State at Notre Dame	Nov. 8	EWR	SBN
Texas at Arkansas	Nov. 15	AUS	XNA
Ohio State at Northwestern	Nov. 15	CMH	O'Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago
Virginia at Notre Dame	Nov. 15	Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) near Washington, D.C.	SBN
Northwestern at Michigan	Nov. 22	ORD	DTW
Wisconsin at Nebraska	Nov. 22	MSN	LNK
Alabama at Oklahoma	Nov. 22	BHM	OKC
Army at Notre Dame	Nov. 22	SBN	LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York
Oklahoma at LSU	Nov. 29	OKC	BTR

Related reading:

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Intro offer

Pros + cons

Pros

Cons

More details

Pros

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Comments

TPG featured card

American Express® Gold Card

Rewards rate

Intro offer

Pros + cons

Pros

Cons

More details

Pros

Cons

American Express® Gold Card

Rewards rate

Intro offer

Pros + cons

Pros

Cons

More details

Pros

Cons

American Express® Gold Card

Rewards rate

Intro offer

Pros + cons

Pros

Cons

More details

Pros

Cons

American Express® Gold Card

Rewards rate

Intro offer

Pros + cons

Pros

Cons

More details

Pros

Cons

American Express® Gold Card

Rewards rate

Intro offer

Pros + cons

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More details

Pros

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American Express® Gold Card

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Intro offer

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More details

Pros

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American Express® Gold Card

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Intro offer

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