How to Find Cheap Airfare to the Super Bowl

If you’re a hard-core football fan, then you’ve probably got “go to the Super Bowl” on your lifetime to-do list - whether or not it’s your team in the big game. Luckily, organizers typically give the Super Bowl to cities in the lower half of the United States - so even though the game’s in the winter, fans will get the added bonus of warm weather to go along with the championship game.

The upcoming Super Bowl is in Miami, so you’ll definitely get a break from winter weather right when you need it. And, if we can help you find cheap airfare to Miami for the Super Bowl, why not make an extended vacation out of it? That way, no matter what team wins, you’ll still come out with a victory in the vacation department.

Many of the tips for finding cheap airfare to the Super Bowl in Miami are the same as we’d give you for finding cheap airfare no matter what time of year it is. But since more people will be descending upon Miami for the big event, you do need to plan ahead a bit more than normal and may need to do a bit more research before you find the best prices on things like airfare and hotels.

Here are our top tips for getting cheap tickets to Miami for the Super Bowl.

Find Budget Airlines Serving Miami

Miami has a big international airport, and lots of the airlines that fly in and out every day are the big ones everyone has heard of before. But although those big carriers sometimes offer deals on certain routes, you can’t necessarily count on them for a discount - especially when they know so many people are going to be looking for flights at the same time to get to the game.

But you have another option, you smart traveler, you - you can fly one of the discount airlines in the U.S. that flies to Miami instead.

You may have heard of some of the budget airlines in the United States, but some of them are strictly regional carriers that don’t cover most of the country. So when you’re looking for cheap fares to Miami, be sure to look at the sites of the budget airlines that fly to Miami - like AirTran Airways, Sun Country Airlines, and US Airways. Or, if you’re flying into another local airport (see below for more information about that), you could take advantage of deals on discount airlines like Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and jetBlue Airways, too.

>> Read more about budget airlines that fly in the United States

See if Using an Alternate Airport Saves Money

Miami is the obvious choice for flying into the Super Bowl in 2010, because the game itself is in Miami. But as is the case with most big airports, Miami isn’t the only game in town (no pun intended).

In some cases, using alternate airports in the U.S. can save money over using the major hub airport for a given area, because budget airlines (like the ones mentioned above) sometimes favor secondary airports over big ones. This isn’t always true, but in the case of Miami, the secondary airport in the area is actually a great option to look at, especially for finding cheap airfare.

Fort Lauderdale’s airport is about 20 miles from Miami and the biggest hub for the budget carrier Spirit Airlines, as well as a popular airport with a couple other discount airlines. It’s definitely worth checking in addition to Miami International Airport for Super Bowl 2010.

Fly When it’s Cheaper

There are certain times of the day as well as days of the week when it’s cheaper to fly. This is true at any time of year, but when you’re looking for airfare deals at a busy travel time like the Super Bowl, it’s even more important to learn when those days and times are.

Generally speaking, the cheapest times to travel are when most people are sleeping (or would rather be sleeping). So to get the best deals, you’ll need to set your alarm for well before the sun comes up, or look at red-eye flights. The cheapest days to fly tend to be Wednedsays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays. Because the Super Bowl is always on a Sunday, however, that Saturday flight may be more expensive than normal.

If you’re thinking of making a vacation out of it, consider flying to Miami on the Wednesday before the game and enjoying a few days at a beach in Florida before the football festivities begin. Alternately, you could look at red-eye flights on Saturday night to get you into Miami in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Stay Flexible

When it comes to scoring travel deals, one of the best ways to do that is to avoid rigidity in your travel plans. Even if you’re traveling to a scheduled event like the Super Bowl, if you have a few days or times to choose from when it comes to flying, you’re more likely to find a better deal on a ticket.

You can manually hunt for several different date/time combinations on any airfare booking site, but some of them will do the hard work for you by letting you just check a box that says something along the lines of “my dates or flexible.” If you check that box (which you should) you’ll get information about dates and times around the one you chose so you can see if there are better prices at a different time or on a different day.

Compare Vacation Package Prices with A La Carte Pricing

Booking a vacation package where you’re getting airfare and hotel (and sometimes other stuff, too) in one combined deal can often save you money, but you shouldn’t assume that from the outset. This is especially true when you’re looking at vacation packages that are based on a big event like the Super Bowl.

There are lots of Super Bowl vacation packages out there, and it’s absolutely worth checking them out - but be sure to do your homework before you hit the “buy” button. How much would that hotel cost if you booked it on its own? Same with the flight - how much could you get a round-trip flight for, if it weren’t part of a package? You may find the package deal is actually a deal - but you may find instead that you can get a better price on an airline ticket or a hotel by booking it separately.

photo by Ed Yourdon