United Airlines is putting on a nonstop between Indianapolis and Lincoln, Nebraska, next month — a route it would never normally fly. The reason? The national champion Indiana Hoosiers are heading to Nebraska for a college football showdown, and fans need a way to get there. It's one of several one-off routes the airline has added this fall, including Eugene, Oregon, to Columbus, Ohio, for the Oregon-Ohio State matchup, and Birmingham to Baton Rouge for Alabama-LSU on Nov. 7.
United isn't alone. Southwest has built a whole fall schedule of away-game flights, including Oklahoma City to Jacksonville for Oklahoma State vs. Florida in November, plus a Columbus-Omaha route the weekend before Thanksgiving. American Airlines went furthest of all: a Boeing 787 Dreamliner special from Dallas to Rio de Janeiro when the Cowboys played an NFL game in Brazil.
The money behind the trend is enormous. Fans spent $51.1 billion traveling to spectator sports in 2025, according to the Sports Events and Tourism Association — and that was before the FIFA World Cup came to North American cities. In Austin, tourism officials say one in six hotel room nights is now tied to sports. Delta's chief commercial officer Joe Esposito called demand "insatiable," pointing to packed arenas across college, pro and WNBA calendars.
What's changed isn't just how many people travel for sports — it's how they travel. Veteran adviser Rose Gray, who's booked Green Bay Packers away-game trips for 40 years, says the cheap-motel-and-tailgate era is over. Clients now want prime seats at the Monaco Grand Prix, driver meet-and-greets, good hotels and local food. Think of it as the Eras Tour effect: fans saving up for one big, time-bound event and doing it in style, even with inflation squeezing budgets. Georgetown's Wendy Zajack, who studies consumer behavior, notes it's not just wealthy travellers — it's ordinary people who prioritize one memorable splurge a year.
And the calendar keeps filling up. The NFL has its biggest international slate ever planned for 2026 after its first game in Australia, MLB returns to the "Field of Dreams" farm in Iowa next summer, and tickets for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are already on sale.
If you want in on this, timing is everything. Search flights and hotels the moment your team's schedule drops — award seats often open 11 months out and vanish fast. Book refundable rates, and consider travel insurance that covers event cancellation, ideally via a card with built-in protection. Fares surge around big games, so flying in a few days early and out a couple of days after usually saves money and stress, and gives you time to actually enjoy the host city. Finally, do the math before burning points: award rates around marquee events can be poor value compared to paying cash.
Whether it's a Saturday in Baton Rouge or an Olympic summer in Los Angeles, the takeaway for travellers is clear — sports is no longer just a ticket, it's the reason for the whole trip.