Today’s Super Bowl LI in Houston prompted airlines to increase flights to accommodate the surge of fans traveling to the host city. Demand was particularly strong from New England and Atlanta, reflecting the origins of the two teams competing in the game.
JetBlue, the official airline of the New England Patriots, scheduled additional service between Massachusetts and Houston. The airline added a flight from Boston’s Logan International Airport to Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport on Feb. 3 at 5:00 p.m., with a return service from Houston to Boston on Feb. 6 at 1:00 p.m.
JetBlue also introduced a round-trip between Providence and Houston. That flight departed T.F. Green Airport on Feb. 3 at 7:30 a.m. and returned from Houston on Feb. 6 at 2:06 p.m., providing more options for fans traveling from Rhode Island.
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines increased capacity on routes between New England and Houston, operating non-stop service to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Delta added non-stop departures from Boston on Feb. 3 and scheduled two non-stop return flights from Houston on Feb. 6 to handle the higher passenger volume.
Delta also added non-stop flights from Hartford’s Bradley International Airport and Providence’s T.F. Green Airport to IAH on Feb. 3, with matching non-stop returns from Houston on Feb. 6. In addition, the carrier put on extra service between Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Houston—several additional departures to IAH on Feb. 3 and multiple extra return flights from Houston on Feb. 6—to meet strong demand from fans traveling from the Atlanta area.
Other major carriers responded as well. United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines adjusted schedules and added flights to support travelers heading to Houston for Super Bowl LI, increasing overall seat capacity on key routes and helping to ease travel logistics during the busy event period.