Planning your college football schedule? Southwest Airlines wants to get you there in time for kickoff.
Southwest, the “Official Airline of the Southeastern Conference,” is adding more nonstop flights to accommodate 14 games this season, including 12 new routes, according to an Aug. 4 release.
For Florida fans, that means increased service to go watch Florida State play at Alabama on Sept. 19, and Florida at Texas on Oct. 17. There will also be new Oklahoma City-Jacksonville service for the Nov. 7 game.
Flights getting there are attractive — Tampa to Birmingham on game day starts at $76 for Basic service, and getting from Tampa to Austin starts at $105 — but the flights back the next day will run you more: return nonstop flights start at $517 from Alabama and $306 from Texas, respectively.
The Dallas, Texas-based carrier is also activating routes for NFL games, including some that don’t currently have nonstop Southwest service, such as Miami-Boston.
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Starting Aug. 17, Southwest will also bring back its Heart for the Game Sweepstakes to give two fans the chance to win round-trip flights, accommodations, and tickets to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta in December.
If you’re not heading to a game but want to watch anyway, Southwest will offer live TV, free to Rapid Rewards members or streaming through Starlink WiFi where available.
Delta adds Florida flights for college football fans
Ten of the 14 games Southwest is servicing are SEC matchups, and many others feature SEC teams in nonconference action. In April, Delta Air Lines added more than 40 Friday and Sunday nonstop flights tied to top gameday destinations and upgraded dozens more to make it “easier for fans to follow their teams wherever the season takes them.”
That included trips to several Florida Gators, Seminoles, and Miami Hurricanes games.
What college football games is Southwest Airlines flying to?
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New Southwest flights target FSU, UF football games. Dates, routes
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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By C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
