University Park Airport Adds Special Fall Flights for Sports Fans
Several airlines are offering special flights to Penn State sporting events this fall, including the home football game against Auburn that will simplify travel to State College.
According to the University Park Airport, Delta and United will offer non-stop flights to State College for the Penn State-Auburn game Sept. 18 at Beaver Stadium.
Delta is offering one flight from Atlanta to State College on Sept. 17, and United is adding two non-stops from Birmingham, Ala., to State College on Saturday morning that arrive in plenty of time for the 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Both airlines have scheduled non-stop return flights Sept. 19.
The non-stops, which last about two hours, certainly shave time getting to State College, which often requires connections for fans of other college teams. Delta flights to State College normally connect through Detroit and take more than four hours. To get from Birmingham to State College on United usually requires two connections and nine hours.
Tickets were available for all flights as of July 8. The cheapest round-trip price was $319 on United.
The special flights suggest that State College expects a huge crowd for Auburn's first football visit to Penn State. The athletic department announced in June that it would return to 100-percent capacity for home sporting events this fall. The football team plays its first home game of the 2021 season Sept. 11 against Ball State.
Fans already are making Auburn's visit a priority. Tickets on the secondary market start at $239 on Seatgeek and $265 on StubHub. And a hotel search on Expedia showed no weekend vacancies in State College and only a few in the region. A Holiday Inn Express located about 20 miles away listed its nightly rate at $599.
Penn State hockey fans also can take advantage of a special flight as well. Allegiant Airlines is offering non-stops between State College and Nashville for the men's hockey team's appearance in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game.
Penn State will play North Dakota on Oct. 30 at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. Allegiant has scheduled a non-stop from State College to Nashville on Oct. 28, with a return flight on Oct. 31.
Read more
Recapping Penn State's July 4 recruiting fireworks
Quarterback commit Drew Allar predicts "big month" for Penn State recruiting
How important is RB Nicholas Singleton's commitment to Penn State?
