United is among the airlines adding flights to and from the Super Bowl.
On Sunday, the lineup for Super Bowl LIX was set -- and, once again, it feels like a good time to be a Kansas City Chiefs fan. They'll be headed to New Orleans to take on the Philadelphia Eagles, along with a significant number of fans of both teams. And while it's almost certain that some optimistic fans already booked their flights for the game, others may have wanted to wait until their team was guaranteed a spot before doing so.
Thankfully for them, some airlines have increased service to New Orleans for Super Bowl weekend -- and, as was the case last year, they're also getting creative with their flight numbers to pay homage to this year's competitors.
United Airlines has added two new flights from Kansas City to New Orleans in the days before the Super Bowl, along with two return flights on February 10. They've also scheduled three flights from Philadelphia to New Orleans, along with a corresponding number of return flights after the game.
The new New Orleans-bound flights from Kansas City both nod to the Chiefs' history. One is flight 1972, alluding to the year when Arrowhead Stadium opened. Flight 2639, meanwhile, is intended as a tribute to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. (According to the airline, 2639 is a numerical way to spell "Andy.")
United opted for a more straightforward numbering convention for two of its Philadelphia-New Orleans flights. Flight 2601 honors the Eagles' Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts, while flight 2203 nods to the numbers of Kelee Ringo and Nolan Smith Jr.
They aren't the only airline to beef up service in and out of New Orleans for the second weekend in February. As The Points Guy reports, Southwest Airlines is adding a total of 31 flights in advance of the game, while JetBlue added service from Newark to New Orleans that same weekend. NOLA.com's Marco Cartolano reports that several other airlines, including Frontier and Delta, have also upped their service for the game. All of which is to say, if you're an Eagles or Chiefs diehard looking to be in New Orleans next month, you have plenty of options.