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 2012 Super Bowl is in Indianapolis, so you’ll definitely get a break from winter weather right when you need it. And, if we can help you find cheap airfare 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 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 Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis for the Super Bowl.

>> The 2012 Super Bowl – Super Bowl XLVI –  is February 5, 2012 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana

Find Budget Airlines Serving Indianapolis

The Indianapolis airport accepts flights from most major cities – like Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Tampa, NYC and Washington, DC – 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 Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis, be sure to look at the sites of the budget airlines that fly to Dallas – like AirTran Airways, Southwest, and US Airways.

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

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 Indianapolis on the Wednesday before the game. Alternately, you could look at red-eye flights on Saturday night to get you into the city 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.

Flying into Chicago and then taking a connecting flight can also save you money. Indianapolis is about two hours from Chicago by bus, train, and car so you could land in Chicago and then drive the rest of the way.

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