How American, Delta, and United Are Prepping for 2025's Super Bowl Surge

Super Bowl weekend is about to kick off and U.S. airlines are braced for a surge in travel.

This Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles face off in New Orleans — and with the game comes the fans. Thousands are heading south from all over the U.S. and beyond.

To accommodate the peak demand, carriers including American Airlines, Delta, and United are making special preparations for key dates surrounding the big game. 

Most major airlines serving New Orleans are preparing for the influx (and exit) of fans from Kansas City and Philadelphia. More than 30 additional nonstop flights between Philly and Louisiana are expected.

Despite neither city being a hub for Delta, the carrier is adding two new nonstop flights from Philadelphia to New Orleans and back. In total, Delta expects to carry 1,300 additional fans for the event. Meanwhile, game-goers coming from Kansas City can hop on an extra flight down, plus two additional options for the return journey. 

Elsewhere, low-cost carrier Frontier has added an extra service down and back from Philadelphia, while JetBlue has added two flights each from New York JFK and Newark to get fans based in the Big Apple down to the Big Easy.

American Airlines’ Quirky Flight Numbers

In recent years American Airlines has made a tradition of going all-in on the meanings behind the numbers of its special Super Bowl flights.

For example, ahead of last year’s game in Las Vegas, featuring the Kansas City Chiefs versus the San Francisco 49ers, American added two extra flights to its Kansas City to Las Vegas route. Each flew with the number AA1989 — a nod to Taylor Swift’s 1989 album and her much-hyped appearance to cheer on her boyfriend, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce. 

This year, American Airlines’ four New Orleans-bound flights from Kansas City will fly as AA3333, AA58, AA1595, and AA155. 

• AA3333 nods to the Chiefs going for their third Super Bowl championship in three years. 
• AA58 is in honor of late linebacker Derrick Thomas, who wore No. 58 for the Chiefs  
• AA155 commemorates quarterback Patrick Mahomes (No. 15) and his fifth Super Bowl 
• AA1595 is a shout-out to Mahomes as well as defensive tackle Chris Jones (No. 95)

To bring Kansas City-based fans home, American has added three flights on the Monday and Tuesday after the game. 

• AA593 marks the 59th Super Bowl (and, again, the Chiefs’ third-straight win attempt)
• AA1686 pays homage to former Chiefs players No. 16 Len Dawson and No. 86 Junious “Buck” Buchanan
• AA1595 also makes a repeat appearance

Additional services to New Orleans from Philadelphia for the weekend also have some double meanings:

• AA126 tips the hat to quarterback Jalen Hurts (No. 1) and running back Saquon Barkley (No. 26)
• AA111 nods to Hurts and wide receiver A.J. Brown 
• AA1746 celebrates the Eagles’ legendary Ron Jaworski, who wore No. 7 as a quarterback, as well as former cornerback Herm Edwards, who wore 46  
• AA3117 honors former running back Wilbert Montgomery, who wore No. 31, and Jaworski 

And on the way back, there’s: 

• AA98, to honor Jalen Carter, who wears jersey No. 98
• AA717, a mashup of previous Eagles players Jaworski and wide receiver Harold Carmichael, No. 17 

United Expands Flight Schedule

For its part, United is adding 12 direct flights from both team’s hometowns to New Orleans, and it’s having as much fun as American Airlines doing so. The carrier has numbered several of its flights with tributes to each team’s football history and player jerseys. 

From Philadelphia, four flights each way are taking off for New Orleans and bringing fans home. The ones with hidden meanings include: 

• UA2017, which nods to the last Eagles Super Bowl win 
• UA2601, representing Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts’ jersey numbers (26 and 1, respectively)
• UA2203, which combines another offensive-defensive pairing with cornerback Kelee Ringo’s No. 22 jersey and linebacker Nolan Smith Jr.’s No. 3 jersey 

Two new routes to and from Kansas City also contain quirky codes:

• UA1972 commemorates the year the first NFL game was played at Arrowhead
• UA2639, for those of us who remember the joys of T9 texting, spells out Andy (Reid, the Chief’s head coach)

Soaring Hotel Demand

It isn’t just airlines enjoying a Super Bowl surge. Hotels.com told Skift that average daily rates for this weekend in New Orleans are currently around $650 per night. For comparison, last year’s event in Las Vegas had the highest ever recorded rates at $747 a night.  

The most popular neighborhoods on Hotels.com are the Business District, followed by New Orleans East and Metairie. The Business District, which is the neighborhood closest to the Dome, has the most premium prices, with rates upwards of $1,200 per night.

The OTA notes that Super Bowl travelers on average book for two nights, typically staying through the game weekend. However, the event has a unique volume of demand, driven by not only the game itself but also lead-up festivities which can start more than a week out. 

The average booking window for the Super Bowl is just two or three weeks ahead of the game. This is influenced by the outcome of playoffs, with not all teams having equally strong fan bases that travel.

The rise of Live Tourism is one of this year's Skift Megatrends. Read the full list here.